Sights from around Crooked Acres.
Maxi in the garden. She knows that we walk around in the garden every evening after we visit the chickens and dogs and ducks and fish in the back forty, so she meets us in the garden and keeps us company.
Mama hens and their babies. We have something like three hens who have two chicks each, and another five or six hens sitting on eggs that will hatch in about two weeks (maybe sooner).
The chicks can go through the fence around the maternity yard with no problems. They come back when their mamas call.
Boy duck, standing on one leg and rubbing his face on his oily feathers. It took me a long time to realize that he was standing there on one foot.
“COOKIE!”
“WE NEED COOKIE!”
“Psst! You ask her, you’re the polite one. She likes you!”
(They got their cookies.)
This here is a Little Green Heron (according to Fred’s parents). He was hanging out in the pond (George and Gracie didn’t see him, or they would have run him off) and flew up to the top of this tree. I wanted to get a shot of him in flight, but I happened to glance away, and when I looked back, he was GONE.
This is the tree he was sitting in. I keep expecting it to fall over (it’s very dead), but it keeps on hanging in there. Maybe all the vines are holding it up.
The pond is getting so shallow. Just a couple of good rains, is that too much to ask for?
George and Gracie, waking up from a long morning nap. To be followed by a late-morning nap and then an afternoon-long nap.
The lettuce and spinach growing in my raised bed. It’s about time to pull up the spinach, I think, it doesn’t do so well when it gets really hot out.
Pole beans, growing up the fence.
Time to eat some turnip greens!
Volunteer tomato plant amongst the pole beans. There are volunteer tomato plants all over the garden this year. We’ve left some of them, pulled up the ones that are in the way. We’ll see how they do.
Volunteer plants that popped up in what’s left of last year’s compost heap. My rule is that I won’t go out of my way to water volunteer tomato plants, but if they produce tomatoes I’ll happily pick them!
Cilantro on the left, Dill on the right. I’m not sure how they’re going to do – they get an awful lot of direct sunlight.
Catnip’s going wild!
Volunteer tomato plant popped up in the raised bed with the lettuce. I’ll probably let that stay there; it will provide a little shade for the lettuce, and maybe it won’t turn bitter (in taste, that is. Lettuce has a naturally bitter attitude. Also, it’s kind of rude and will bolt with no notice whatsoever. Stupid lettuce.)
We actually ate all the corn we grew last year by early this year. So what did Fred do? Planted twice as much this year. I love love love corn.
I believe these are the Campari tomatoes. They’re bigger than cherry tomatoes, smaller than plum. Last week, I pruned the tomato plants. When I say I “pruned” them, do not be under the mistaken impression that I ever have any idea what I’m doing when I prune them. I mostly get out there and hack at them, and then I say “Oops. I think I went overboard”, but then the plants reward me by being incredibly happy, so I can’t have messed it up too badly, right?
San Marzano (plum) tomatoes.
More Camparis, I think.
Squash flower.
Wee baby scalloped squash.
Wee zucchini. I took this picture yesterday morning. The zucchini’s probably the size of a Volkswagen by now.
Wee baby grapes!
And blueberries! (I’ve eaten about a handful of blueberries so far.)
When we moved into this house, there was a cedar tree in the back yard. There was something wrong with it (I don’t remember what), so Fred cut it down. That small tree that started growing next to the trunk is, I think, a sweet gum tree (I could be wrong). We have PLENTY of sweet gum trees, so I think that eventually we’re going to cut down the little tree and plant something else in that general area.
Happy, happy Hydrangea.
And pretty!
I’m not absolutely sure what kind of bug that is – I’m thinking it’s an Assassin Bug. Anyone know for sure?
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The other day, a fly made its way into the foster room, and it’s the first and only time I’ve seen Emmy look SO engaged and interested. She tracked it as it flew around the room.
Then my camera battery died, and in the time it took me to come downstairs and switch it out and go back upstairs, she chased the fly down. As I walked back into the room, she climbed back into her cat tree, and she swallowed the fly. Apparently it was quite tasty.
(She wasn’t up for a congratulatory pet, though.)
So, today we bid adieu to Emmy. I’m leaving here with her in a little bit, and she’s off to become a barn cat. She’ll have some other kitties to keep her company, and I believe there are horses there as well. And I’m pretty sure that there will be plenty of tasty flies for her chase down and eat. She won’t have to sit and look longingly out the window at the outdoors, she’ll get to be out there as much as she wants. And she’ll be cared and provided for, and I think she’s going to be happy.
Last night I sat down several feet away from her, and I thanked her for trusting me with her kittens. I told her she was going to have a happy life where no one will subject her to being petted unless she wants it, and she can be outside if she wants, or she can snuggle up in a comfy barn if she wants. I told her that she’ll have other kitties to keep her company, and she will never bring another litter of kittens into this world. She looked at me as I talked, and she eventually gave me the slow blink.
So I tried to pet her. And she nipped at me. I prefer to think she was saying “That’ll do, human. That’ll do.”
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Jobey-Joe the tuxie-do SWEARS he’s not going to pee on that melon plant, no. (But look at those mischievous eyes! I’m not sure I believe him.)
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Previously
2011: “Dorfy sweepy too. I can haz a snuggle?”
2010: (Hint: SHE is the boss.)
2009: No entry.
2008: No entry.
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: Aren’t I nice, taking toys away from our cats for the foster kitties to play with?