A week of life

Here are some of the pictures collected over the past week or so as I sit in the TSC parking lot waiting for the lady who is buying these two goofballs*

That lid isn't very secure but I ran out of duct tape. Also they definitely just pooped in the car :(

These tiny wild berries are starting to ripen. The oldest and I eat them by the handful. It looks to be a good berry year. The cardinals have gotten most of the red currants. I did put up fencing and netting this week to protect what was left and also the blueberries. The youngest loves to grab handfuls of green berries off of the bushes so now they're protected.

Quail eggs are still in the incubator and puttering along.

I butchered a rooster Sunday that was just being miserable.  He will be dinner Thursday. 

One of the chickens was quite literally scalped yesterday morning by another hen. It was the whole back of her head down to the bone. I doctored her up while trying to keep breakfast down. It looks horrible but I think she'll be fine. She better be as my son has named her "little peep".  If things go south there is conveniently another hen who looks identical to her. L, if you read this, that's what was going on when you called yesterday morning.  Chicken carnage.

What else... I crawled under the chicken coop last night and took up all of the goose eggs.  That was so gross and not fun. Out of 11 there was only one good one but it looks close to hatching! I hope we have a gosling in the next day or 2. So... instead of getting rid of the geese we may end up with another one. Go figure. 

 I found the missing hen out in the shed nesting in a laundry basket we use to cover the squash transplants. I don't think this bird has ever in her life actually laid an egg in a nest box. This is her 5th hidden nest so far this year. The others I've taken so she didn't get eaten by some predator but I give up. She wins this time.

That's a ton of eggs.

We finally have a porch swing! The oldest  and I painted it an my husband hung it this week. We all love it. We need a real outdoor pillow.

It's hard to get a shot of the whole garden but here at least is some of the kale.  The garden looks so pretty this season. 

Here are some lillies by the tiny shed. Which has a massive snake living in it. We have so many snakes this year, 4 different types so far. I don't mind them.

We took a nice walk as a family on the rails to trails path, I forget what day.

Here are the kids chucking rocks into the swamp.

Right by this massive water snake which took us awhile to notice.

Here is a hatched snapping turtle nest in the railroad bank.

Friends invited us over for a pool party last night. We got to see their new house, meet the puppy and hold their beautiful smells-like-milk-and-powder baby girl.  I am grateful that our youngest is not put out by me holding a baby. Yet.

There was a day when we were all outisde and got caught in a downpour. The youngest refused to get off the trampoline and here he is in the pouring rain having the time of his life. It was a great unexpected gift to stand in the warm downpour.  He turns two years old tomorrow. Time goes fast.

Here is a picture the oldest took of me. The baby and I have officially hit the 6 month mark. We are narrowing down names for another little boy.

Woke up before everyone else this morning and made doughnuts from scratch. They took no time at all and made everyone happy.

It's going to be another hot day with us hiding inside. We may go to the lake tomorrow morning.

*The little bantams went to a nice lady from the next town over. We are 2 chickens lighter and $25 richer.