Digging Potatoes With Grampa

Our garden has been amazing this year.  With 100 degree temperatures and much less rain, it's slowing down now.  But it  was a great spring.

 

 

See I can stand with my shovel like Grampa.

 

http://www.territorialseed.com/product/501

 We also planted purple string beans, Royal Burgundy beans, that I ordered from Territorial Seeds.  Purple ones are suppose to be more nutritious. The strange thing was, they turned green when I cooked them.  First picking was small, but I roasted them with potatoes and other vegetables. It was a great dish.

Sorry But Billy Shakespeare Stinks

I have 3 does and 1 buck, not counting the 2 kids that were born April 1st.  The does and kids live in the back, behind the garage apartment.  But we didn't make a special yard for B.S.; I just put him in the dog yard that fits rather snugly between my house and my neighbor's. He loves to stand on the air conditioning unit and yell at everyone going by.  It's funny to see people stop, point and laugh at the unexpected site of a  goat. 

B.S. is my friendliest goat.  He was only about 2 weeks old when we picked him up in Loganville, just outside of Atlanta, GA. at the Double Durango Farm.  I had to bottle feed him.  That night we checked in a hotel to watch the LSU football game.  So B.S. is one of a few goats to sleep in a hotel and watch a football game.

He and my granddaughter, Kennedy, have been wonderful playmates since the day they met.

Kennedy and Shakespeare last year.

We'll be outside and I'll look up and B. S. is wandering around free in the yard.  I'll look at Kennedy and she will say, "I let him out.  He's my friend."  And he is.  She has great control of him.  I think she will be great showing him at the State Fair. 

 My Neighbor is the best neighbor about my having a mini urban farm.  She is always bringing friends over and even recommended that a family who is home-schooling their daughter come and visit the farm. She saves vegetable peelings for the critters and I give her eggs. But one day she called and said, "I have to ask you to move Billy away from my computer room.  I can smell him in that room and at my front door."

So in the spirit of being a good neighbor; last weekend we built a new pen for Shakespeare.  Don, very reluctantly, and I went Friday to Lowe's to get the needed hardware.  We had a lot of chain link left over from the girls' yard, so that came in handy.  I'll write a post tomorrow about B.S.'s new pen.

Gypsy Visits a School

Last week Kennedy and I loaded up the truck with Gypsy and 2 chickens, Gracie and Moonshine.  The Pre-K classes at Shreve Island had been studying the letter G.  They had also learned the song "Gus the Goat."  

When we drove up to the school, Kennedy pointed to the playground and wanted to go play.  But I told her we had to show all the children her goat and chickens.  The children certainly enjoyed petting Gypsy and the 2 chickens.  As I was holding Moonshine and passing her around so the children could feel her feathers, we heard a splat/crack.  I was so shocked. Moonshine had laid an egg and it hit the concrete.  It almost hit a child on the head.  I can't believe I didn't get a picture of that, but I was just too surprised.  Now the children know first hand where eggs come from.

Moonshine right before she lays an egg.

By the way, the first Pre-K class took Kennedy to play on the playground while I showed the animals to the next class.

On Friday, I took 10 eggs to one of the classes to put into their incubator.  Hopefully, by the end of February they experience chicks hatching.

A Present for Gigi

My fountain

My children and I went in together to buy my mother a fountain for her birthday.  I wanted to buy her one like I did for myself; but when I went back a month later they were sold out.  I like the sound it makes.  To me it sounds like water in a cave, but Bridget said it sound like a running toilet to her.

Anyway, we had to find a different one.  Bridget was the one to spot the fountain we bought for Mother.  It had roses on it and was light weight enough that she and I could deliver it and set it up.  Also, if Mom ever wants to move it, she can easily.

I just hope that Mother will enjoy it as much as Kennedy and Connor did. Mother wrote a post on our visit also on her blog @ http://gardeningwithjuanita.blogspot.com/2012/07/welcomed-visiters.html

The First Day of Summer

Sonic ran a special for the longest day of the year; all milkshakes were 1/2 price.  So of course, the grandkids and I made a trip by Sonic for 3 chocolate milkshakes.  Yes, I only got 3 and there were 4 of us. I knew Connor couldn't drink a whole one, even the small size.  And sure enough, as soon as we got home, he put his shake down on the steps and ran to the bathroom.  Well, Kennedy helped herself to the chocolate treat.  All was well, Connor never came back of it.

 

How to Enjoy a Spring Shower?

How to enjoy a spring shower if you are a Rose Bud.

 

How to enjoy a spring shower if you are a Rose.

How to enjoy a spring shower if you are Kennedy Rose.

 

A Great Cat

Cloud is the best cat I have ever seen.  I got him when he was 5 weeks old.  I got the flu the next day and laid on the sofa with him for a week.  Wherever I am in the house, there is Cloud; except when I go to sleep, he doesn't follow me to the bedroom, unless his food bowl is empty or his water isn't fresh.  Then he will sit at the bedroom door and meow until I take care of those responsibilities.  We had him neutered and his front claws removed when he was quite young. So he is not allowed outside. I can be eating salmon and watching TV, get up to go get something and lay the plate right beside Cloud and he ignores it completely.  He only sniffs or eats his cat food.  He doesn't jump up on the kitchen counters.  I did not train him to be like this; thank goodness I didn't have to, because I'm not very good at training cats or dogs. Actually, it's more like they train me.

He wants to be around Kennedy, but when he gets enough of her rough-housing he just leaves the room.  He is a huge cat, yet very unimposing.