Sassy & Sweet Notes

Best Side

Fidget smiles at me from her right side.

Fidget smiles at me from her left side.

Which one's better!?

Smile! It's Friday!

Two CUTE Ducklings

Look what I brought home this evening! ... can you blame me!? ...

This one is a crested Rouen.

I can't wait to see how fun it's crest is as an adult! I love crested ducks!

And this is a Khaki Campbell. A new breed for us!

They were delivered to the farm store this morning, so they're itty-bitty little things! Ducks grow up really fast, and having little babies around is just the most fun!

I'll leave you with the cuteness.... I just love babies!

Swimming with Fidget

Fidget gets to swim and splash around in Moose's swimmin' tub. I thought you might like to see the fun!

The splashing about really kicks up the water!

All the feathers get a good rinsing.

Round and round and round she goes.

Lots of dunking and splashing and shaking.

I think she has a pretty good time... and sure does a great job of splashing out the water!

Three Days of Spectacular Skies

In the past three days, we have had some fairly spectacular skies. The scattered thunderstorms over central Texas, while not actually giving us much more rain than we received over the weekend, are providing lots of sky eye-candy. The photos I'm sharing on this post are from today (Thursday), Wednesday, and Tuesday of this week.

The first few photos are of tonight's sunset. I didn't think it would amount to much, but it actually turned out quite nice.

I always love it when the sky fades from warm oranges and yellows to cool greens and blues. Tonight, it did just that!

After the sun completely set, there were lots of beautiful little pink-bottomed clouds.

These colors always remind me of western paintings by Charles M. Russell.

YESTERDAY: Storms sailed just past the farm (both sides!) not leaving us with a drop of rain. But we did get to see that pretty cloud formation in the distance. This was taken hours before sunset, but look how dark it was under those clouds!

TUESDAY: The sky was quite different on Tuesday! When I was on the other side of town delivering eggs, the storm off in the distance was really something! The storm was coming up from the south, and I was convinced with all that was coming our direction that we'd get some rain. Nope. It split in half and went right around us.

Meanwhile, the view west from back at the farm (this is the view you usually see in my photos) gave a beautiful image of the sun peeking down through the clouds.

And in case you're wondering, Fidget has been my evening helper while I'm out checking out the sunset. She's quite the helper.... follows right along, chattering up a storm. *grin*

Give This Photo A Caption

Fidget's Growing!

Surprise Baby Duck!

Earlier this week I was checking on things out at the hen house. We have a duck that has a bum foot so I like to let her sit when she wants to so she's not being pestered by the boy ducks. Seems she sat long enough to brew up a baby! I'm just glad I was out at the hen house when I was, and saw the baby when I did! It would have surely been killed by the chickens when they came into the hen house for the night. I brought it in the house until Alan and I could try to reunite it with it's mother that night.

Later that night, Alan and I tried placing the baby back with its mother but she didn't want anything to do with it. And since we've been having trouble with rat snakes in the hen house, we decided to keep it as a house baby until its large enough to be outside. Quack!

She kept me company today while I hung out on the couch with my foot up. Soo cute and such a snuggler!

Garden Update: June 7, 2013

I am enjoying day 2 of my 4-day weekend today. It's a gorgeous day, and I have a garden update to share!

Remember our grasshopper infestation? Sooo not fun. Disgusting, actually. We are doing what we can to keep the numbers down to something a little less horrific. We have free-ranging chickens, ducks, and guinea, and lots of wild birds coming in to eat. We have most of the area around the house and yard mowed to discourage the grasshoppers from moving between pastures and the yard/garden area. But it wasn't knocking down the population like we needed.

I'm still using organic methods in the garden -- even relocating wheelie bugs and ladybugs to the garden when I find them other places on the farm. But when the numbers of grasshoppers creep up in the tall grass and trees in and around the yard, we spray those areas with a Malathion/water mixture. It's a little more serious than we normally use on the farm, but is still a garden-safe method of control.

During the day, grasshoppers are very active and hard to control. But at night grasshoppers stop feeding and climb up out of the grass and perch themselves along the edges of the pastures on the tall grass stems, along the fence wires, on trees, and weeds. And there they sit, waiting for us to make our way around the yard wearing our headlamps, armed with a sprayer. And yes, I still have grasshoppers in the garden. But not nearly as many as I would have if we weren't able to control the population in the areas around the yard.

So how about a small garden tour!

Some of the radishes have grown a little larger than I had expected. Not a good enough look?

How about now!? THOSE are some radishes!

We've harvested our first couple of zucchini, and lots more are well on their way!

I even picked a couple of ripe cherry tomatoes yesterday evening! And they were deeeee-lish! These are Husky Cherry Reds.

Those ripe cherry tomatoes came off of this plant, which is nothing short of amazing! And it's loaded with little green tomatoes, just waiting to ripen!

This yellow pear tomato plant is also amazing -- it's HUGE, and has officially reached the top of the 4' cage around it. The plant next to it (can't remember what it is!) is doing really well too, but there just aren't a lot of flowers on either of these plants. Some flowers, but not a lot. Maybe I need to supplement with some phosphorus to encourage flowers. I use bone meal when I prep the beds for planting, but maybe adding some worm casting tea might be beneficial. Hopefully I can encourage these two to put on more flowers!

I have cucumbers growing in several areas, but this is the largest area. A full 4'x8' bed of them, and they are quickly vining out of the bed's edges. Under those leaves are a bazillion flowers! And we've even picked a couple cucumbers! I think they are enjoying not being trellised this year.

The pumpkin is doing well (for just being old seeds tossed at the edge of a zucchini bed), and the zucchini and other squash plants are looking healthy. In the blue tub at the left are some mini white cucumbers, a great little variety that is really fun to grow!

I also harvested our first patty pan squash of the season! Alan loves having them grown in the garden, so they got planted again this year. We should also have some other variety to harvest soon.

Here's some organic bug control in the garden ... ducks! Chickens can be really hard on a garden since they're really drawn to eating leaves and small tender fruits, and like to take dust baths in the soft soil -- which isn't so great for plants. But ducks and guinea are great in a garden! They are more focused on bugs! They pull them right off the stems and leaves, and the ducks also root around the edges of the garden beds where other insects like to hide during the day.

Here's little Butter-Butt, doing a bit of insect patrol.

This is a happy garden sight ... three ducks, all munching on grasshoppers! Numm-nummm-nummmmm!

On the Farm 2012 Calendar

First of all, thank you for all your support to those who purchased the On the Farm 2011 calendar last year. We had a great response to last year's calendar, and have decided to offer On the farm 2012.

A small portion of all purchases comes back to the farm, and all proceeds recieved go towards the care and feeding of the animals here on the farm. The calendars make fantastic gifts, and are ideal for personal use. The calendar is available in 3 sizes. All of the photos in the calendar were taken by me; I hope you choose to spend 2012 enjoying photos from our farm.

Order your own copy of On the farm 2012 today! Some of your favorite farm critters are featured in the pages of our calendar! Even Baaaaad Boxcar Betty makes an appearance!

HOT SALE! Today through November 20th, cards are 50% off, and calendars are 20% off when you use coupon code CARDSCAL2011 at order checkout. In addition to the 2012 calendar, you will also find all kind of lovely cards in my Zazzle shop as well!

 

Zazzle Coupon Details:
Enter code: CARDSCAL2011 at checkout in the "Zazzle Coupons/Gift Certificates" box 50% of the greeting card, invitation, photo card and postcard net sale price will be deducted when one or more qualifying products are purchased. 20% of the calendar net sale price will be deducted when one or more qualifying calendars are purchased. The coupon code CARDSCAL2011 must be applied at checkout to apply these discount offers. Offer is valid until November 20, 2011 at 11:59pm PT. This offer does not apply to past purchases and may not be combined with any other Zazzle promotional or volume discount offers. If a volume discount applies to your order, you will receive either the discount set forth in this offer or the standard volume discount, whichever is greater. Offer valid on Zazzle.com only.

Horn Worms Make Great Duck Snacks! (Video)

This year the bugs are out of control in the garden. Today I went on a tobacco horn worm hunt (which I've done three times previously earlier this month)!

Real life gummy worm duck snacks! *grin*

If you have trouble viewing the video on the blog (or want to see it larger), you can check it out here on YouTube.

Quack, quack!!

The Nightly Lockdown! (Video)

I decided I would take some video clips last night while I was locking up the chickens. Join me in the fun!

If you're having trouble viewing the video here on the blog, you can check it out here on YouTube.

Happy FRIDAY!!

This and That Around the Farm (Video)

We finally got some much needed rain last night. Oooooh it smells so GOOD! So, since I didn't have to water the garden this morning, I took the camera around to see what some of the critters were up to.

If you have trouble viewing the video here on the blog, you can check it out here on YouTube!

Enjoy!

Oh, and I've added a link to my YouTube channel on the right in the Sassy & Sweet Stuff list. All of the farm videos are there for your enjoyment. *grin*

An egg-eating SNAKE!

I went out to lock up the chickens tonight (like I do every evening) and to make sure water containers and feeders were topped off. The ducks were quite upset, giving me all kinds of attention. Lots of quacking and carrying on. I have a duck that's been broody, and we've been nursing a sore foot pad on her, so I've been letting her sit on some eggs so she doesn't feel like she needs to be running around the chicken yard all day on her sore foot pad. Even she was off of her nest, quacking, and was quite upset about something.

I looked over at her nest and saw a RAT SNAKE had come through the chicken wire nearly 3' up the side of the fence and was investigating her eggs! No wonder she was so upset!!

Since our snake issues began, I've been carrying a two-way walkit-talkie so I can get Alan's assistance as needed. This certainly called for some much needed assistance! I voiced over the radio for him to grab my camera and come to the chicken yard, that there was a snake thinking about eating a duck egg!

In just the few minutes that it took Alan to get out to the chicken yard with the camera and his headlamp, the snake had already chosen his meal and was working on swallowing it.

Here is a series of photos for you .... since we had to experience this, it's only fair that you do too!! *grin*

I never thought I'd see this in MY chicken yard!! Duck eggs aren't small, or delicate, either! They easily fill the palm of my hand, and have a VERY tough shell.

We let the snake get the egg all the way swallowed, and then Alan placed a paper feed sack in front of the snake and with a long garden stake, encouraged the snake to go into the bag. At first it thought about escaping through the fence, but there's just no way it would have fit through 1" chicken wire having just swallowed the duck egg. It changed it's mind, and just like that, the snake was in the bag. Alan poked down the top of the bag, rolled up the top edge, and we went about the process of relocating the snake near a big open field and pond.

What we found interesting was that while the snake was working on the egg, and while the snake was in the bag while we transported it, it was shaking it's tail and mimicing the tail shake that a rattlesnake does. But this was just a rat snake ... trying to be extra scary, I guess. Believe me, it was scary enough just the way it was. What we also found interesting is that in just the few minutes that it took us to get to where we relocated the snake to, we couldn't even tell that it had swallowed that huge egg! Whoa!

Yesterday morning I saw another hog-nosed snake (only maybe 3' long one) in the zucchini bed in the garden. I'll be watching for that one to show up again, too.  Jeepers... enough snakes already!!

 

In other LESS CREEPY farm news...

...Alan sold three of the calves today to a local fella. He may come back for Stanley too, when Stanley is old enough to take off his mama.

See ya later Popsicle, Riblet, and Harry (Dumbo)!

VIDEO: Spring Storm & Around the Farm After the Storm

Here's the video I put together following this afternoon's storm. I'm sorry to have missed filming the earlier part of the storm -- I was so involved in watching what was happening! So, I missed the trees blowing sideways, tree branches blowing across the yard, the rain and huge HAIL blowing completely sideways. I'll be better prepared next time!

Here's a bit of what you'll see:
BIG HAIL (at 1:10 and 1:45ish)
My poor tomatoes and other garden plants
Chickens
The new calf having a milkshake tasting contest, and a RACE!
Rain, rain, RAIN!
5 calves eating hay
Dash on post
And more!

Enjoy!

If you have trouble viewing the video here on the blog, you can always check it out on YouTube!

Another Birthday Card! Quack!

Told you I had a lot of birthday cards to make for upcoming dates ... here's another! This image is my own "Drake's Birthday", from Whipper Snapper.

The sentiment is from my cling set called "All Things With Love", and the present image I used on the base of the card is from the cling set called "Party Animal". All can be found at Whipper Snapper, here.

I should also mention that I made this card to fit with today's color challenge on SplitCoastStampers. Want to play along? Check it out here!

checkin' in on the chickens...

Not only did we have blue sky and 80 degree temps here on the farm today, we also had several attentive vultures circling the farm this afternoon. The chickens and ducks are always aware of them, and hustle under cover when they're near.

Shorty continues to greet me in the yard when I'm headed out to the chicken house.

When I'm about half way out to the coop, I call his name and he comes a runnin'!

Today, he brought a little friend with him...

And he always shows me where it would be a good idea to build a nest. What can I say ... he loves me!

The ducks have quite the mud hole to play in. Here, Nellie is splashing around, looking for hidden treats.

Hershey Kisses had been playing in the water, and had lots of little droplets on her head.

She has got to be the cutest thing! She is my "snuggler" duck. The others tolerate being held, but she actually seems to like it.

Weezie, always in a hurry, was in a hurry. She's a nutso golden laced Polish hen, and is as crazy as the day is long...

The silver laced Cochin sisters hung out at the watering hole, catching up on the latest gossip.

Eventually, Tiny Tim joined them for a *snort*.

Look how many feathers Tiny Tim has now! Sure, they are kinky and thin in places, but at least he's not naked as a jaybird! He was enjoying the warm day we had.

Tiny Tim, standing tall... standing guard. ...and would you look at his SPURS!
"I got my eye on you, lady!"

A Lazy Sunday on the Farm

The sun was shining so I went out to see what the critters were up to. Very few of them cooperated for photos. The cows were at the faaaaaaar end of the pasture with the donkeys. The cats and dogs were sleeping in the shade. The goats? Well they would have been in my pockets had I gone into the barnyard! I guess Callio-Pea didn't like that I didn't bring her any snacks!

Baaaaad Boxcar Betty, getting close close CLOSE!

The chickens were a mixed lot. Some cooperated well enough for photos, and others did not. Curly Que stayed in the window, enjoying the breeze.

Dee stayed in the window, also enjoying the breeze.

When I sit on the concrete block, I get quite a bit of attention. They've got to tug at my shirt buttons, tug on my sleeves, and of course be close enough so that if I do have any handouts, they're first in line! If I sit there long enough, things go back to normal. This is Uncle Sam, waiting to see if I have any snacks for him. Sorry dude, no snacks.

Chickens take siestas.

Chickens eat snacks.

Ducks come in out of the yard for snacks.

Here is Laffy Taffy, enjoying a bit of sun after a swim.

And Buttercup, waiting for handouts.

And even with the nice weather, some of the hens stay in the hen house. This is Chatty, enjoying some quiet time on the perch.

An afternoon nap sure sounds like a fine idea... Don't you agree?

Chick-Chick-Chickens...and weather!

While the sun was low on the horizon this evening, I took my camera out to the hen house to see what I could see. What do you know, I saw CHICKENS (and ducks)! Shorty tried to show me where a good place to nest would be, "right here, in the tall grass!"

Laffy Taffy told me all about how they would really like more water in the duck pool. "The mud on my legs is soooo unsightly!"

Inside the hen house, some of the ladies enjoyed perching in the rays of sunshine that were coming through the windows. Ruby had the best spot! (And is it just me, or does she look a little bit like Conan o'Brien?)

The winter molt was a little rough for some of the ladies, but finally Curly Que is looking good! Nothing like new feathers to make a girl beautiful!

And of course there's the always dainty, always beautiful Dee. What a sweet little pint-sized chicken!

Chainsaw was looking lovely today, too!

I had to keep my eye on this Golden Comet... she was very interested in my camera lens. Just what I need, a chicken beak through the lens on my camera! Yikes!

Like most areas around the country, the weather here is supposed to get cold this week. Yesterday and today it was in the mid 70's ... Take a look at Tuesday and Wednesday in the above chart ... a low of 14* on Wednesday!? Ice and Snow!? JEEEEPERS!! Best plan on keepin' cozy!

Snow Day (Video)

I went out earlier and took some quick video clips of the farm activities. The snow was really coming down, and still is! About 4" have accumulated now. Fun!

Enjoy the video! ...oh, and you might notice that there isn't a chicken to be seen! They were ALL in the coop. Sissies!

If you have trouble viewing the video here on the blog, you can see the video HERE on YouTube.

Happy Snow Day!

PS: For those of you with relatively slow internet connections (Mom and Dad!), start the video, then press the PAUSE button (the button with two vertical bars) and allow the video to download. You will see the download progress by watching the red/pink progress bar extend. Once the progress bar is almost complete, press play again. This will allow you to watch the video without lots of stops and starts.

2011 On the Farm Calendar

Today thru Friday, December 17th, calendars at Zazzle are 40% off when you use coupon code 40CLNDRS2011. Order your own copy of On the Farm, a 2011 calendar, today! Some of your favorite farm critters are featured in the pages of the 2011 custom calendar!

I will receive approximately $4.00 per calendar purchased; money that will be put towards keeping the critters on the farm happy, and healthy!

Coupon Details:
40% of the calendar net sale price will be deducted when one or more qualifying calendar items are purchased and the coupon code 40CLNDRS2011 is applied at checkout. Offer is valid from November 12, 2010 through December 17, 2010 at 11:59pm PT. This offer does not apply to past purchases and may not be combined with any other Zazzle promotional or volume discount offers. If a volume discount applies to your order, you will receive either the discount set forth in this offer or the standard volume discount, whichever is greater. Offer valid on Zazzle.com only.

 

Speaking of DUCKS!

We were, weren't we?

Here's a sneak peek of one of my new stamp images being released later this month at  Whipper Snapper Designs. And what timing, sharing a duck AND a birthday themed image ... someone near and dear is having a very special birthday this weekend! More on that later!

I'm not sure how it got to be Friday -- I was very busy this week, and the days just flew past. Not that I'm complaining... and I am REALLY looking forward to having Monday off work! Gotta love three day weekends!

This weekend I have plans to do some Spring/Summer drawing for Whipper Snapper, a bit of crafting, and I've got to get the last of the corn stalks out of the raised bed and get some fall seeds planted. Now just to decide on what to plant! I've got some containers that need some seeds planted in them, too. Maybe some radishes... maybe some onions... maybe some garlic! Decisions, decisions...

"Cheers" to the weekend... may it be DUCKY!

An Incident of GRAND Proportion! QUACK!

I received a message today from Laffy Taffy. It went something like this (I'll do my best to interpret DUCK)...

"Quack quack QUACK! Dear Farmer Lady, the situation has become un-duck-able! I've got feathers stuck in my nose, dirt on my bill, and some sort of "fowl" tasting goo on my tongue. My feathers are a mess. I've got mud on my feet, bugs in my doo! Look at me. I'm a mess. Can't we PLLLLEEEEEAAAAASEEEEEEE have water in our pool!? QUACK!"

Sadly, the duck pool has a leak, and it's kind of in a critical location: the bottom. I haven't had time to patch it yet (I found it late Sunday evening). So, I've been propping that side up a bit and putting in as much water as possible before it starts to leak out -- but clearly, that's not good enough for Laffy Taffy. Her beauty is suffering.

This evening, I filled the pool a little more (the ducks splash out a good deal of the water anyway...) just to make the ducks happy.

Laffy Taffy was the first to jump in, and in her enthusiasm proceded to splash out most of the water. She washed her tail feathers, her wing feathers, and her doo. And there was lots and LOTS of quacking!

A little scrubbing on the left...

A little scrubbing at the trunk...

And a little scrubbing at the belly.

Let there be peace on the farm once again. Until tomorrow, when she discovers we still have a leaky pool.

Pardon me, but did you hear the news?

 
Teaspoon: "I was layin' in the sun over here by the to-maters when I heard the news!"

 
Penny: "I was just finishing my kitchen-scrap snack when I heard the news!"

 
Poof: "I was investigating the chicken yard when I heard the news! Cluck cluck!"

 
Grasshopper: "I was contemplating which corn stalk to chew on when I heard the news!"

 
Colonel Sanders: "I was practicing my crow when I heard the news! Unbelievable!"

 
Red: "I was harvesting seeds when I heard the news!"

 
Laffy Taffy: "I was practicing laying an egg when I heard the news!"

 
COCKADOOOODLE DOOOOOOOOO - NEWSFLASH - This Just In!

 
On Location: One short, stalky, black pygmy goat, known by the name Baaaaad Boxcar Betty, was caught in an attempt to escape the barnyard. Evidence shows that Baaaaad Boxcar Betty had considered escape prior to today's event, and had in fact, been working on her escape plan for months! Undercover reporter Callio-Pea was at the scene of the crime.

 
Callio-Pea: "I was here at the barnyard cafe just a short distance away enjoying my morning meal when the incident occurred. I knew plans were being made for an attempted escape, but I couldn't be sure when it would take place. Today was the day. Unbelievable. You just don't see things like this every day."

 
Callio-Pea: "As you can see here in this footage, prior to rescue crew response the portly pygmy was nearly completely suspended in her attempt to escape. At heights like this, things can get ugly. Baaaaad Boxcar Betty was lucky in her attempt that there were no injuries. It could have been devastating. I think it's safe to say that Baaaaad Boxcar Betty underestimated the circumference of her midriff, and her plan to escape failed her. Her attempted escape this morning stacked up more evidence that indeed, Baaaaad Boxcard Betty truly lives up to her name. I, on the other hand, am a good goat."

When asked by local farm authorities why she attempted her escape, Baaaad Boxcar Betty's response: "The grass IS greener on the other side! I won't give up! Don't underestimate this goat. This won't be the last you've seen from Baaaaad Boxcar Betty, I guarantee!" 

Farm authorities have the situation under control and all residents of the farm have been assured that there have been no injuries. Please resume your regular daily activities.

 
Dandy: "Quack quack quack ... that Betty has all the fun!"

Give this Photo a Caption

 

one HOT day and i quacked up

 

This evening I took my camera out to snap some photos. My first stop was to see what the ducks were up to. It was about 97 degrees, and just as I expected they were lounging in their pool in the shade. Can't say I blame them ... it was H-O-T!

 
When I'm in the yard with the birds, I get attention. They are always looking for handouts and it is not uncommon for me to leave their yard with muddy duck bill prints on my toes, knees, and pant legs, or if I kneel down to get eye level with them while I take photos, I get duck bill prints on my bum, pant pockets, elbows, etc.

 
Today I interrupted nap time and it took them a little longer to snap into snack-searching mode. But they didn't disappoint.

 
Normally when I take photos of the animals I use a zoom lens and don't have to get as close to them to get photos as I did today. I'm usually 5 or 10 feet from them. But today I had my macro lens on the camera (which does not zoom in or out), so I had to get pretty close to the birds in order to fill the frame of the photo like I prefer to do. I was about as close to the ducks as it actually appears in the photos.

 
Actually, I should say that they are as close to the CAMERA as they appear...

 
...and this is why I use clear filters on my lenses when photographing animals -- to protect the high dollar glass of my Canon lenses. Slime can occur. They are particularly fond of the camera strap around my neck. It gets lots of nibbling while I'm trying to take photos.

 
And not just from the ducks ... the chickens get in on the excitement, too.

 
After leaving the chicken yard, I stopped at the sunflower to see if I could find my Wheel Bug friend. A couple times a week since I relocated it to the red velvet sunflower I check the plant over to see if I can find the bug. Surprisingly enough, nearly every time I look I spot him!

 
I put this critter on this particular sunflower on July 2nd when we met for the first time. I am really surprised that it's still taking up residence on the sunflower, and that I can find it! They're a very shy bug, so I'm always surprised to see it.

 
More and more zinnias are blooming. This pretty orange blossom opened within the last couple of days. I think it's lovely!

 
And the echinacea is blooming nicely, so I took a photo of it's amazing flower center. These things are so poky!

 
See ya next time, Wheelie!

 
Say cheese and quackers!

Time to get out of the heat!

too good to be true?

 
It is July, right? I'm looking at the 10-day forecast, and am so EXCITED!! Not a 100 degree day to be SEEN! And look at the chance of precipitation numbers! This Pacific Northwest girl thinks it's time to do the dance of joy! But I won't get too excited... I don't want to jinx things. That's just my luck. *grin*

We didn't get rain the entire day, just sprinkles now and then, but the cooler temps were nice. At about 6:30pm I was out doing chores. A bit of sun peeked through the clouds just before the big storm for the night moved into the area. I took some time to snap some random photos just to document the day.

The ducks LOVE the rain. It's QUACK QUACK QUACK all day long, while they splash around in the puddles, and chomp at the rain drops. The chickens don't really like getting wet, but I think they're enjoying the much cooler temperatures we're having. They don't tolerate heat well, and neither do I!

 
I sure get a lot of attention when I bring the camera into the chicken yard. I'm pretty sure they all think it's a container full of treats for them to snack on. Keeping the duck bills away from my lens is sometimes a challenge. Keeping the duck bills away from my pants and pockets ... impossible.

 
The little feeder dish hanging in the garden collected rain water. I'll leave it for the dragonflies.

 
The echinacea blooms are pretty, and the butterflies sure like them! Today I watched the FATTEST bumblebee enjoying the flowers on one of the cucumber plants. Yay for bees!

 
The squash pit is growing like mad! I never got around to thinning the plants -- maybe I'll have time this weekend to snip out some of the stragglers. If I can find any stragglers.

 
I really do love zinnias...

 
This one just opened in the past day or so.

 
It's a good thing I strung some twine for the pole beans. They're climbing like crazy!

 
They move up the twine several inches each day. Maybe even more!

 
The cucumber plants (I found extra seeds in my pocket) I tucked into the corn patch have really taken off. ...and it's evident that I haven't thinned the corn yet, either.

 
The frizzle chicks are growing... we've got three boys, and this CUTE little pullet (female). I love her crazy little topknot and her big, dark eyes.

 
Dandy (our only male duck, thankfully!) doesn't have time for baby chickens. He is growing into such a handsome fella. And I noticed he's finally getting his little drake tail curl (no photos yet). He's off to find a puddle.

someone is a little camera shy

 

   

 

 

 

   

"QUACK! I can't take it anymore!"

I sure wish all the animals on this farm read their "photo session rules and regulations" handbook. Not everyone understands the meaning of COOPERATION. Really!

Duck, Duck...Duck!

I'm pretty sure 3 of our 5 ducks are girls, and one of them I'm pretty sure is a boy. But this duck, I'm not sure about...

 
This is a Buff Orpington duck that I'm HOPING is a girl... I'll refer to it as a "she" until proven otherwise. She is in the middle of molting out her first set of feathers, and I'm seeing some darker brown (almost antique gold colored) feathers coming in. Such a pretty little thing... We have two ducks this color, and I think (90% sure) the other one is a male. He barely has a voice at all -- just a whisper of a quack.

 
This is also the duck with the not-so-perfect hip joint. She gets along pretty well, though not as swiftly as the others, but doesn't seem to be in any pain. We hope she continues to get along just fine! We are rather attached to her. She's not able to scratch her jaw on the right side with her foot, and just LOVES it when we scratch it for her. Her little leg twitches just like a dog's leg when you're rubbing a "good" spot. She is also the most tolerating of affection.

 
The ducks love to poke around in the soft soil of the chicken yard. And when I'm changing the water in their swimming pools, they take advantage of the extra water on the ground and create little mud pits for themselves to play in. Kind of looks like chocolate pudding, doesn't it! There's another photo of this duck on this post (freeze-frame a quack), and as you can see, the mud is a big hit with the ducks!

 
This is our fawn & white Indian Runner duck. 90% sure it's a female, and is just about the most comical thing on the farm (aside from Baaaaaad Boxcar Betty!)! She got a Y shaped stick caught on her leg yesterday, and oh my GOSH you would have thought the world was coming to an end! She was quite upset. Thankfully, she did an about-face turn, and the stick fell free. All was well.

 
We also have what was supposed to be a Khaki Campbell, but I believe is a Chocolate Runner who is also very comical. Here she is doing some gardening at the edge of the chicken yard. I now have river rock in this area to keep the ducks from making the soil along the edge of the fencing weak, or eroded. Now they make their mud holes in the center of the chicken yard, and everyone is happy -- including me. *grin*

It wasn't too long ago when the ducks were itty bitty little things, swimming in our bathtub! I can't believe how fast they grew!

I've been tossing around name ideas, but haven't settled on any just yet ... not sure what's taking me so long. But they've got to be right!

Random Thoughts

 
Here's what it's like to walk Daisy and Farley. Notice the out of focus appearance and stretched tight leashes ... probably because I'm being DRUG down the road and it's amazing I don't come home with a skinned chin.

 
Ever freeze-frame a quack?

 
Isn't it true that yellow striped cats are most often male? Why are the majority of ours female?

In other randomness, tonight Alan and I watched (rather quickly, thanks to the DVR) the American Idol finale. Talk about a random show! I'm still not sure how they pulled that lineup together... or why.

 
Did someone say QUACK?

Sunday Photos

It was a Sunday, but it certainly wasn't lazy! After a quick run to the grocery store and the feed store this morning, I spent the rest of the day working outside. Here are a few photos of my day...

 
Here I am, in my new hat, in desperate need of some water to drink!

 
My tomatoes are coming along nicely! Can't wait to enjoy them! ...and the chickens think they'll get to enjoy them too, but I have news for those silly chickens!

 
I planted lavender in my big aluminum water container. It should fill in nicely! (Clearly, no longer used for water...)

 
I planted new hanging baskets of spinach and lettuce. Grow little seeds, grow! ...it's amazing how big this photo makes the mulch in the soil look!

 
I started some cucumber and squash seeds in little peat discs. Later this summer, we'll have tasty homemade pickles! Grow little seeds, grow!

 
More tomatoes growing out near the chicken yard.

 
A month or more ago I planted some dahlia tubers -- probably not early enough, but things get done around here when things get done. They're coming along nicely too... I can't remember what else I put in the bed, so it will be interesting to see how things progress. Can't wait for the flowers!

 
I also came across this situation today...

 
Apparently, I need to cut a larger hole in the lid of the water container the ducks use when they're in the brooder during the day! No ducks were harmed in the incident. *grin*

Hope you had an enjoyable weekend! Come Monday, it's full speed ahead again.

how could I resist?

This evening just before dinner, the ducks were splashing around in their pool. They were having so much fun, I had to take photos! They move so FAST! I got more "action" shots (aka: Blurry!) than anticipated ... I will have to take more photos another day, now that I've got a little experience under my hat! Here are some photos I felt were worthy of sharing... Enjoy!

Click on the images for a larger view.

 
Enjoying the sunshine.

 
Ahhh, the bright warm sunshine.

 
Clover in the pool is GREAT!

 
May I have some clover, too?

 
Future Olympian... say no to drugs.

 
Motorboat, motorboat, zoom zoom zoom!

 
It should be illegal to be so cute!

 
Pre-swim session. Still some baby fuzz to lose!

 
My favorite shot of the evening. See her little wing feathers coming in? Soon she'll be snow white!

Thursday is Earth Day...get out and enjoy it!

Give this Photo a Caption

 

Click on the photo for a larger view.

Let's hear what you think the story is behind this photo... be creative!

A Farm Update in Photos

We had a bit of rain last night, which always puts me in a happy mood. I love rain! Weather like we had to day reminds me so much of the pacific northwest. It just feels "right". I pulled out my camera and Alan and I walked around the farm to see what we could see. Here are a few photos for you.

 
This bush is blooming near the house. I think it's some sort of hollyhock, but I'm not sure.

 
The goats were enjoying fresh green grass.

 
And then Alan rattled the treat bag...the race was on.

 
It's nearly impossible to photograph BAD Boxcar Betty. I always get "action" shots (aka: blurrrrr).

 
Callio-Pea always brings up the rear.

 
CallioPea's wattles are really swingin'!

 
Lucy and Darcy were munching grass.

 
The other cows were munching grass, too. Notice all the wildflowers! Pretty!

 
The blue bonnets are really fragrant.

 
There are all kinds of flowers blooming, and so many that haven't started blooming yet!

 
The Indian Paint Brush are so neon! I think they are so pretty!

 
The neighbors have lots of Indian Paint Brush this year!

 
...look at that storm north of us!

 
Unfortunately, the poison ivy is growing like crazy, too... this particular plant (and it wasn't the only one like this) has wound it's way up to the top of a fence post, and will soon be more like a tree than a bush! YUCK!

 
Another horrible pest here are fire ants. Here is a small nest that has pushed up between two patio stones since the evening rain. Fire ants are terrible creatures! Be careful where you walk!

 
The hens are doing well, enjoying the cooler temperatures. They were busy in the chicken yard.

 
Weezie is always on a mission, squawking all the while.

 
Dot, a guinea hen, was watching wild birds flit around in the treetops.

 
Brown Manetta (a turken hen), looking lovely, as always...

 
Here is one of the Cuckoo Marans girls, watching me very closely, just in case I have treats in hiding!

 
Just-a-Minute was napping on this bale of hay. Shortly after this photo, he ran off.

 
The baby ducks are GROWING so FAST! Still without names (I know, I know...), these two are fascinated by the grass growing at the base of the chicken coop.

 
I might call this duck Nellie. I'm HOPING it's a girl. I've read that the girls are the most chatty/vocal, and this one is just that. But she's also a little Nervous Nellie... so, Nellie fits.

 
Mmmmm, water!

 
It's hard to believe that the two bigger buff colored ducks are only 4 weeks old! We brought them home on March 20th. The white crested duck and the khaki duck are now 3 weeks old. Growing like weeds! Remember when I brought them home, how LITTLE they were! They are the happiest little creatures!

 
Action shot! Nibble nibble nibble nibble...

 
"We love life on the farm!"

Hope you enjoyed your visit to the farm today!

They Grow Like Weeds! (video)

Here's a short video from earlier today, of the three older ducks that are in the feed storage side of the hen house in a brooder. You can hear the hens and roosters clucking and carrying on in the other side of the hen house, and you can hear the 6 baby chicks who are in a chick brooder at the back of the feed storage area, too. You can even hear Alan running the weed trimmer in the background. He's out working while I'm dinking around with the babies. *grin*

If you have trouble viewing this video here on my blog, you will also find it on YouTube.

Happy Easter!

I Got Caught!

On the Egg Count page where I keep track of the eggs we get each day, I also have a count of the number of chickens, and now ducks, we have on the farm. Long-time reader SUE noticed that the duckling count recently jumped from 3 to 5, without me saying a word! So, yes.... yes, it's true.... I've been found-out! We now have five ducklings. BUT! As soon as you SEE them, YOU WILL KNOW WHY!!

But first, let me say that it's all Alan's fault. He had to stop at the farm supply store on Thursday and pick up some cat food and that's when he saw the lot of them. While he was running other errands around town he called me and told me about them, "they are so cute, and they even have chocolate brown ones" he says quite innocently.

That evening when Alan got home, back to the store we went. I had to see their fluffy cuteness for myself. When Alan was at the store, they had 5 or 6 chocolate brown ducklings (actually, I think they're Khaki Campbell ducklings). When we got to the store that evening they only had 1 brown one left. AND they had a few white crested ducklings, too! The last brown one and one of the crested ducklings followed us home, and am I ever so glad they did!!

They were TINY when we brought them home. The khaki one only weighed 1.9oz, and the crested one weighed 2.2oz. Today they weigh a bit more... the khaki one is 3.1oz now, and the crested one is 4.2oz. Growing like weeds! The other three are MONSTERS in size compared to these two, so we're keeping them in their own brooder until they get to be closer in size to the others.

 
This is the white crested baby. The extra fluff on the top of it's head will continue to grow into a nice, plume of feathers. You can see what adult white crested ducks look like, here. This little baby is as sweet as can be! She (we hope) LOVES Alan!

 
Here she is nibbling on Alan's thumb.

 
The khaki is the smallest little thing. And also quite sweet. They are so happy and content, and just love being held.

 
We had them on my desk so I could take photos using the extra light from my desk lamps. Alan put his hands up to the edge of the table to catch them if they got too close to the edge. She decided it looked like the perfect place to rest, so she climbed into his hands and laid down! See the little poof on her head? So cute!

 
I love how dark her bill and feet are. Like really rich, dark chocolate!

 
The warmth from Alan's hands was just too enjoyable for the little crested gal. The perfect place for a nap.

 
Yes, the perfect spot, indeed!

 
And plenty of room for two!

After a Swim Session...

 

...a much-needed nap!

I'm glad you're enjoying the videos! Thanks for the comments you've left, and the emails you've sent! The ducks don't have names yet. I kind of want to wait and see if they're boys or girls, and let them express a bit more of their personality before naming them. They really are just the cutest things!

The Little One Learns to Swim (Video)

How cute is this!? She's so LOUD!! *grin* See if you can spot them doing dives!

If you're having trouble viewing this video here on my blog, you can also find it on YouTube.

One, two, THREE!

On my last post I mentioned that one of our little ducklings has a bad hip. This is no good for a duck. As they grow, they can get too heavy for their joint to support them, and it makes for hard living as a duck.

Just in case something terrible happens, we didn't want our other duck to be without a friend. So yesterday, I brought home a third little duckling. And little is no lie! Here is a video of them enjoying some snacks, and their WAY FUN water container! They're so CUTE!

If you are having trouble viewing the video here on my blog, you can also find it on YouTube.

Quack!

March 20th, we brought home two baby ducks. I made a video for you, so you can share their bath time! They are swimming in warm water, in a big plastic tub, that's sitting in a bathtub. Perfect for baby duck baths!

You might be able to see that one of the ducks has a bum hip - she kind of holds it out to the side, and a bit farther back than "normal". No good for ducks... more about this a bit later...

Until then, enjoy bath time!

If you are having trouble viewing the video here on my blog, you can also find it on YouTube.

Happy Spring!

Alan and I zipped up to the city today to pick up a few electronic items. I've been having issues with internet connectivity in my office (oh, the horrors!), and Alan thought a new switch would solve the troubles. Turns out he was right!

While we were in the city, we swung by Home Depot where I picked up some Dahlia bulbs. I'll have to wait for the winter storm warnings to pass before putting them in the ground. When I was out locking up the chickens earlier tonight, it was snowing. Crazy weather.

Also while we were in town, we swung by the farm supply store. Since it was the farm supply store in a larger city than we usually shop at, Alan didn't think they would have babies...and that it might be SAFE to take me to. WRONG!

 
Not only did they have baby chickens (boring white "meat" chickens), but they also had BABY DUCKS! Ohhhh, they were cute. At first it was easy to say "awww, they're so cute" and keep on walking. And then we noticed that not all of them were white Pekin ducks!

 
Ducks and chickens get along well, and since I haven't had ducks since I was a wee little girl, we brought two home. I am 99% certain that they are Buff Orpington ducklings, though I am not sure if they are male or female. Now I need to come up with names for these little cuties. When I was a kid, I had two ducks named Soup and Quackers...

 
Ok, ok..... I need to fess up... Earlier this week Alan and I had to make a run to town (south of us) so I could get a bag of chicken feed, and a few odds and ends at the grocery store. They had baby chicks at the farm supply store... mostly just Production Reds and Golden Comets.

 
They also had three "unknown" breed chicks. And they were CUTE... They came home with us, and are now shacking up with the two cutest ducks on the farm.

By the way, not only is today the first day of spring, but March 20 is also my Mom and Dad's wedding anniversary. Happy 39th Anniversary, Mom and Dad! May you have many, many more happy years together!

Me and my Ducks

Last night I was looking through some of my image files for a client, and came across some family photos I scanned a while ago for my Aunt Patty.

This is a photo of me in our back yard, carrying a wooden spoon (why? dunno...), and my ducks Soup & Quackers. I like the angelic glow.

I'm going to guess and say that this was the summer of 1974, but Mom and Dad would know for sure. Maybe one of them will leave a comment on this post, and enlighten us all!

Maybe Mom knows why I was carrying the wooden spoon, too!

This photo reminds me of one of my Whipper Snapper stamps, called Gretta.