Thank you for a fantastic garden harvest!

A very special thank you and shout out to mother nature and nature's oversee-ers for a very successful and rich garden harvest!!

We had two "beef" tomato plants, four zucchini plants, two cucumber plants, various herbs and a cherry tomato plant.

For the first time we can remember...in a VERY long time...the tomatoes are SO very tasty this year! The flavors back!!  We have dozens of cucumbers, dozens of zucchini and buckets of tomatoes.

We have given many fresh garden gifts to others...so we weren't alone in experiencing our harvest.

I've even been able to make not one...but TWO...zucchini pies!  Yum!!  (Thanks mom for the recipe!) Zucchini pie is sort of like a quiche ...has chopped zucchini, onion, shredded cheese, oregano, basil, egg and mustard...all sauteed and poured onto a homemade crust. Then baked for 30 minutes.

Next year...I think I'll also try planting some sweet corn.  I also have plans for growing broom corn too.

I'm going to try and save some seeds from these tomatoes and create a do-over of this great variety next year.

Thank you mother nature for sharing your bounty with us!

the passing of a barnyard legend

Such a bummer to report that in July we lost our legendary male turkey...Tommy. (Yes, not the most original name for a tom turkey ...noted).

Tommy was approaching 5 years old...which for a turkey I imagine is a pretty stellar life!  He started to show signs of his aging...he developed a cataract in his left eye which eventually covered that eye completely...and it began to effect his ability to navigate around the barnyard.

July 4th I walked in the barn to feed and water everyone...and found him face down on the floor in the straw...as if he just layed down and that was it.  I worried that some predator would take him down...so I'm at least happy that he passed peacefully...and simply from old age.  He was always very healthy and spry...until his final months when his eyesight started to be effected.

We miss seeing him poof and gobble around.  We also miss the wild male turkeys that used to come around and hassle him in the Spring in a effort to gain courtship rights with Tom's female turkey (Sugar Pea...she passed in 2016).

So...rest in peace Tom.  He's now a member of the pet cemetery...with his own solar light.

introducing....Leg-o-Lot

We inherited a new rooster some months ago. He joined our flock primarily because he was young...and needed a home.  (He's one of those roosters that got caught up in the city ordinance scenario...sorry folks...you can't have chickens here (city limits)...especially roosters...so he was gifted to us (country life).

I named him after the Lord of the Rings character Legolas...adapted to reference his incredible long legs...tada...meet Leg-o-Lot!

At first he was shy...and stand-offish.  But it didn't take him long to learn his role of "protector of the realm".

He wasn't competition for the older rooster (Blackbeard) because they were in separate partitioned chicken runs. I did worry that Blackbeard might jump the fence and then pirate pummel Leg-o-Lot...which turns out that did happen...but only once...so they must have worked things out amongst themselves.

Now some months later, Leg-o-Lot jumps the fence and visits the "cougars".  And Blackbeard jumps the fence and visits the "college girls".

Two roosters are plenty to balance our flock of 35 hens. So if you're looking to re-home your rooster...you'll have to check with another farm. We're full up.

The chicks aren't so little any more

from chick to pullet to...

They've started laying!!!

It always make me smile when young chickens start to lay eggs.  They start out really small...the eggs.  Just a little bit smaller than a golf ball usually...then...over time...the eggs get bigger and bigger.  Sometimes they go through a short double yoke stage too before they settle into "normal sized" egg layers.

It's a fun process.  So long as I can keep the predators at bay...but that's info for a different post.  I'm in the process now of "integrating" the old girls with the youngins in preparation for winter...when they have to be kept all in one barn together (because of the cold temps and snow).

So far so good...they all seem to be adjusting to the reordering of things.

I'll be posting here soon about our new rooster...who you can see in the background of the below image.  More soon...

all grown up

It's a birthday tradition...

Sort of accidentally started this last year for my birthday...a morning campfire.  Can you think of a BETTER way to start one's birthday??

Here's last years morning campfire.  Taken in Kentucky on our way back from vacation in Tennessee.
Obviously it was a little chilly in April, 2016.

 

Here's this years morning campfire.  Taken on a mini-vaca in northeast Indiana.

Obviously not nearly as chilly this April.

Yeah for a new birthday tradition!!  The morning campfire! Happy Birthday ME!

 

mail order chicks!

In an effort to continue providing a "friendly" barnyard atmosphere...I decided to stack the deck in our favor for this upcoming summer.  Based upon the experience of having a black australorp hen a few years back...and that she was super friendly and that she hatched and raised two different groups of babies...that set me on some research.  Come to find out black australops are known to be broody (will sit on their eggs until hatched) and are very friendly birds.  Yes please.  And note here I also had read similar info about buff orpingtons.  So why not get some of both?

Back in March when I was looking into this, none of the local feed suppliers had either of these breeds in stock to sell. (March begins chick selling season).  So after some additional research I found Meyer Hatchery located here in our fair state of Ohio. 

After a few clicks of the mouse and some payment info...I had mail ordered 10 black australorps and 10 buff orpington pullets (female chicks).

A few days later I received a phone call from the local post office that our chicks had arrived and to please come pick them up...so off I went.

Seems as if the shipping of baby chicks has improved over the years.  The quality of the shipping box for one had improved...very sturdy...and for two there was a little heating pack in the bottom of the box to keep these young ones warm...hence...alive until we got them.

Was super fun to walk into the local post office and here our chicks peeping around the corner.  The window clerk commented, "I was just getting used to hearing them cheep."

Reese made sure that no one escaped on the drive home.

The sound of little birds cheeping kept Reese's attention the whole way home.  I had to work at keeping her from standing on the box.






Then of course was the "unveiling"...I thought for sure we might have at least one dead one...but no...everyone survived!

It's certainly obvious who's who in the photo below.

This was all back during the first week of April.

My oh MY how fast they are growing!  And I'm very pleased to say so far...all of them have survived and appear very strong and healthy (which usually one or two die in their youngest days...so extra kudos to Meyer Hatchery for healthy chicks!)

Here's the latest picks. So fun to watch them grow feathers and zip around and stretch their wings.

More chick updates to come...

Mission accomplished!

Like many places in the country...yesterday was gorgeous here in Northwest Ohio.  Sunny and 70!  So what does one do in Northwest Ohio when it's sunny and 70?  Grab the dogs and head to the woods!

We walked and we walked and we walked...so much so...that my mission of wearing out the dogs...coupled with my need to get into the woods...was very successful!

As you can see in this photo below...both dogs are like....pleeeeaaaaseeee can we go home now!  Hah...we still had about 30 minutes of walking after I took this photo.

We're back to overcast and meh today...but...my cup is full for now...and is giving me ample opportunity to update things here on the blog.

Cheers!  Until next time...