Middle of May Ramblings

It rained all weekend on me. But, the college kid graduated with 2 degrees Friday night and the camera batteries went dead on me. Great Mom, glad ya checked those lithium batteries, LOL.

It stopped raining early this morning so perhaps this afternoon I can get some of the chicken prison built. I have 8 banty fledglings waiting to be out in the sunshine so I really do need to get something done on it.

The horses are loose grazing around the farm with the cow. So far, even the thoroughbred is behaving better than the cow is. I'm running very low on hay now and the 4 days this week I could cut have overnight temperatures below my drying cut off. So, I need to make it until the middle of next week at least before I can cut anything. It's just too important to let it mold.

I'm pleased to announce the red potatoes are growing despite the chickens digging them up a half dozen times.

The barn swallows are back! They're busy gathering chicken and duck feathers for their nests. I really enjoy their antics and they are such beautiful birds.

Speaking of ducks, I have no hens left. Just 6 drakes, go figure. Guess my duckling days are over for a while. I haven't a clue what happened, they just disappeared.

All the seedlings are still alive despite the kittens beating the life half out of them every night. I'm hoping to get them out in the dirt by Thursday. This has got to be the longest I have even had to wait to get the gardens going. It makes me a bit nervous since it's my food source. I look at it as lost production. I just hope Mother nature gives it back to me on the end side of the growing season.

I've been medicating the sick kittens with the antibiotic filled cows milk. It creates a mess with the kittens digestion but their snotty eyes and runny noses are clearing up. I'll take a kitten mess if it makes them healthy again.

Speaking of cows milk, I've got 6 more days of dumping milk before i can safely keep it to use. This round of antibiotics better clear up the infection. The poor cows butt looks like a pin cushion!

How about that baby bunnie? That thing is 3 weeks old and is one of an original litter of 14. One by one that lousy Californian doe threw the kits out and let them die. She just kept this one, obnoxiously fat one. He is so fat, he can't hold himself up on his legs. I think he will be in the soup pot pretty quickly followed by his Momma. She's not a really good doe anyway.

Well, off to do an animal head count.......