Flock, Food, and Finger

Our chicks and ducks are getting bigger, especially the ducks. They seem to be growing especially fast and look somewhat silly running around with their short wings, almost like they are missing arms or something. I love that we chose 4 very differently colored ducklings, it will be easier to remember who is who, whereas the chickens still all look the same as one another. The ducks are not very tame, they always run away from us, whereas the chickens are a little more curious and trusting. Everyone comes when we bring out treats though! They LOVE apples and pears.

We brought the six bigger birds into the fenced part of our yard one day last week. They aren't free ranging yet, the little ones are not big enough to fend off the cats so we are waiting a little longer before letting them roam. This day was just a bit of a treat for the big gals (and maybe a couple guys? can't tell yet). Mason enjoyed picking them up and giving them rides on his bike. Jax (the dog) whined from the other side of the fence. We are still working with him to not attack them, there is still room for plenty of improvement there. The chickens spent most of the day under the deck (yuck). At least that meant less chicken poop in the yard, which Jax cleaned up most of the that (double yuck).

I planted a couple different varieties of green beans. They have come up within the last couple days and there are already rabbits munching on the leaves. I might have to have Tyler build a little fence around them like he did my garden back in Nebraska. It wasn't the prettiest, but it kept the bunnies out!

I also have planted some cilantro and cucumbers from seeds. My seedlings I started inside aren't doing so hot. I planted out a few of the tomatoes, and they don't look like they've grown a single centimeter in the last week, my hopes aren't high. The pepper plants are alive, but small. I'm still debating (with myself) as to whether it will actually be worth the effort of planting them in the ground or not. I will definitely be starting my seeds indoors earlier next year.

We've been experimenting with ice cream making lately. The big tubs you get at the grocery store are not only expensive, but filled with high fructose corn syrup among other things. Shocking, right? I got an ice cream maker many moons ago for Christmas (like when I was in middle school) and it still works great. I started with a basic vanilla recipe, but then winged it with a blueberry chocolate chip. It was pretty good, not very blueberry-y. The kids devoured it and we brought some to Tyler's dad when we visited since he is one of the biggest blueberry lovers we know and he had not trouble polishing it off. I'm excited to come up with other concoctions. Do you have any tried and true recipes?

My cousin, Kirk, came out and planted some pasture for us last week. My dad is letting us rent a couple acres of his farmland to the south of our acreage. We have plans to fill our freezer next year with some beef, so it was time (actually past time) to get the pasture mix in the ground. Mason timidly asked Kirk if he could ride in the tractor with him. When Tyler lifted him up into the cab, Mason just squinted his eyes tightly shut, you know, so Kirk couldn't look at him. By the time they were done, Mason had talked Kirk's ear off; he kept announcing to Kirk that it was 5 o'clock (while it was not, I'm sure Kirk let him know it was in fact 5 o'clock somewhere). He's still talking about his tractor ride and the fact that he was in his jammies at the time.

I love our views. We get to see the sun rise and set. Every night recently, there have been awesome clouds in the sky, thunder heads to one direction or another. We always know where the storms will be. My mom and I watched these clouds for a while the other night, I had to snap some pictures when the finger appeared.

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Linked up with the Homestead Barn Hop.