The young boys are moved away from their sisters and mothers. One here seems to think the trip was just too hot and tiring. They and their mothers have “baa-ed back and forth all day about how evil we were to separate them. Such is life on a farm
The hoop house has been overrun with growth plus the fact that I haven’t had time for it for over a week. After a number of foods were nearly done, I poked some “delicate” squash plants along one side. Well that’s what the label on the plants at the store said. They are not Delicata, but they are squash and at least one pumpkin. They are threatening to take over the entire place. It’s near enough to the end of the season, I won’t pull them, but neither will I believe labels next year. Squash plants are now forever banned from inside the hoop house. They are just too happy in there.
This morning I picked tomatoes, onions, parsley, cantaloupe, cucumbers, red and orange peppers from the hoop house. Now they all have to be dealt with.
Then I picked some overripe apples as I’m out of applesauce and it makes a great sweetener in baked goods. I was able to can 10 pints. I picked a lot more apples – or rather shook them out of trees. I’m not sure how ripe they are. I’ll test them tomorrow.
While the apples were processing, I cooked some quinoa in broth. In another pan, I sautéed onions and added broccoli until just cooked but still green. Then I made a cheese sauce. I mixed it all together, reserving half the cheese sauce, put it in a greased casserole dish, topped it with the rest of the cheese and that will be our casserole for the weekend.
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.
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.
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.
Bracken is an 8-year-old border collie who was in the top 50 in sheep dog trials in the US. She is being retired here because she needs a job and I need a dog that knows how to bring in the sheep when needed. I got so much more than I expected. She is incredibly loving and sweet. She stepped into the stall tonight at feeding time, and I saw her do nothing, but the sheep filed out, I filled feeders and then let them back in. That was so much more pleasant than trying to put hay in feeders over the top of the sheep.
Butler is our new polled ram who will service the daughter of the rams we have been using. He is not only beautiful, he has very soft wool and is halter trained. He will make a great addition to the Shetland flock.
Look at gorgeous red peppers. What a difference a hoop house and a very hot summer make!
