GARDEN
Though it’s difficult to see from this photo, I filled a 5 gallon bucket about 2/3 full of potatoes this morning. We planted quickly in bad ground about 8″ apart in long rows. I am delighted that we have so many potatoes. They are so near the surface, however, that we will either have to cover them for the winter and take as needed or take them from the ground before freezing and hope the garage will be cool enough.
Company
Our daughter came to visit today and left with 5 large zucchini (possibly to share), kale, tomatoes, and some orange peppers. In this heat, the garden is watered daily, one can almost see the growth of the vegetables daily.
Yesterday, our son and his wife picked up their new Abyssinian kitten. He is 3 months old and they have been a bit impatient to be able to take him home. He is the cutest thing, and has some growing to do to grow into those ears.
CLOCKWORK
Today went like clockwork with all the appointments happening right on time. First Bracken and I spent two hours picking berries. Then the fellow I hired to help me catch up on some barn cleaning showed up.
NEW WASHING MACHINE
We decided to purchase a washing machine with an agitator spindle because we have not been happy with the way the clothes were being cleaned, plus we like the tub fill of water at times to soak the clothes. Since our last machine lasted just over a year, we decided to roll the years back and get one like we had a few years ago. This is a 4.2 GE model. The installers were here 5 minutes early and were done in 20 minutes, taking the broken one with them.
VET VISIT
Butler needs some health tests before he can join the other boys, which he so badly wants to do. Here he is watching them while waiting for the vet and his long needle to draw blood.
And after all that, I had a 3 hour phone conference as we are setting up a new sheep registry. It has been a very busy day.
My winter hat is finished and a welcome addition to my wardrobe. I have enough yarn left to make a band to go over my ears when I don’t need a hat.
Just look how much these ducks have grown in a mere 3 weeks. Last year the baby ducks all drowned. It turns out that infant ducks don’t have the oil in the feathers to keep from drowning for 2-3 weeks. This year, our son has been giving them a lot of attention and has gradually been giving them deeper water. They have enough oil on their feathers and are very good at swimming, so he doesn’t have to worry about them, but now he has become quite fond of them.
While someone wasn’t watching, the grapes grew right through the top of the netting. No use cutting them back now. We will wait until they die back and next year have a better plan.
It’s just too hot to do much besides lie in the shade, so other than coming in to eat, most of the day is spent lying in the shade chewing cud.