Beans Finally!!!

I knew the beans would be late because I was so late in planting.Yesterday I finally collected my first green and yellow beans and are they nice! They're a great colour, great shape, great texture and you guessed it, they taste great, too. They're the best size I've seen. I'm wondering if that is because I've been picking off leaves all summer long to give to the rabbits. We enjoyed some of the yellow beans with supper last night. Today I'm going to freeze the rest.

While I was out collecting the beans, I noticed a few more carrot tops. Looks like I may have twenty carrots instead of five or six. Plus the little row I put in of the baby carrots when I realized my first planting was a no-show. The baby carrots are thin, but they are there. Hopefully they'll get to a decent size before October.

On the plus side, both my cucumbers and tomatoes seem to be ahead of the game. We've been eating the cukes for a couple of weeks now. This summer was just perfect for cukes, they like it hot and muggy. The tomato plants are laden with fruit and I think I'm seeing just the faintest blush of red on the biggest ones.

Everything else is coming along. The corn are getting some tassels and the snow peas are straggling behind. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be the only person around who will have fresh snow peas in September.

One thing I have noticed is a lot less bugs in the garden. That war simply wasn't waged this growing season. If I saw three of those miserable potato bugs that love the cuke and tomato plants, I'd be surprised. I'm wondering if planting this late kept the bugs away. I think that is wishful thinking but until proven otherwise, I'll go with it. I always try to find some redeeming quality to procrastination, 52 years old and I'm still looking.

Curious Skunk

If they didn't smell like something leftover from the Apocalypse, I'd probably not mind skunks at all. Generally speaking, I'm pretty neutral about them. Both dogs, on separate occasions have been skunk-bombed. Both times happened, of course, at last bathroom break before going to bed and so extending my day by a couple of hours as I hunt around for the peroxide, baking soda and soap all the while reminding myself to look into getting a gas mask. When that happens, I am not neutral at all, not towards skunks, not towards dogs, not towards the world in general.

After building the chicken coop, a skunk or two moved in underneath. We had put chicken wire around the coop to prevent such a thing but we ran out before we got around the whole coop. It was just a couple feet and it was by the door so the chickens wouldn't be able to get under the coop and it didn't seem worthwhile to get another whole roll of wire for just a couple of feet and the skunks wouldn't likely find that little, tiny hole anyway so we figured we'd wait until we needed more fencing to complete the job. You know how they say the road to hell is paved with good intentions? Well the shoulders and all the road signs are there via the excuses one uses not to do something.

That summer, on occasion, I get a faint whiff of skunk but nothing overwhelming and it only happened in the early morning. They never bothered the chickens. So I figured live and let live. Besides several people told me with a skunk underneath the coop, I wouldn't have any issues with rats. Seemed like a good trade off to me. The skunk never tried to get into the coop to eat the eggs so, again, live and let live. On occasion, I'd see the skunk in the early evening, bouncing unconcerned through the chicken pen, ignoring the chickens and the chickens returning the favour.

I hadn't seen any skunks this year and hadn't smelled them either so I figured they had moved on. They hadn't. A couple of weeks ago, I was out closing up the coop for the night. I was a little later than usual, having some minor crisis in the house or something (the something being another cup of tea with that great cake and conversation). Anyhow while I was in the chick pen, I heard scratching and rustling. "Oh great, a chick got out," think I. Nope. About two feet away from the chicken coop door, the door incidentally I had to go through in a couple of minutes to get to the hose to change the water, was a skunk happily digging through some weeds. I went into the coop and started talking softly, gently and very kindly. The words were anything but, however. They were something like, " I need to go out there, ****** skunk, so don't get ******* startled. Don't ******* spray me or I shall ******* kill you in a ******* long, ****** drawn out manner and visit all ****** kinds of ****** wreck and ***** ruin on your ******** decedents for generations to come." Still speaking gently of mass murder and atrocities and throwing in the occasional ******, I gingerly went outside where the skunk was. He looked up, gave me a casual look and went back to grubbing around for bugs. I passed him and continued on to the hose. Since I had five waterers, I had to make three trips. On the second trip, the skunk decided to follow un-nerved me to see what I was doing. It was sort of like a little kid pestering an adult, "Whatcha doing, huh, huh? What's that, eh? Can I help, huh? Huh? Huh? Can I, can I?" While he was way too close for my comfort, he did stay a respectful distance away from me. On the third trip, he was waiting for me and followed me to the hose once again. When I left the coop he had either wandered off or went under the coop again. I guess I bored him after a while.

I haven't seen him since but I do talk softly if I'm out there early evening now. I think if I don't startle him, I'll be OK. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure I'm going to get very ****** un-neutral about skunks again.

Two Months Old and Going Strong!

My little turkeys are almost two months old now. They're finally catching up to the chickens in size. At first, the turkeys chicks were much smaller than the chicken chicks. As they developed, they showed a different body type, longer and narrower (and that famous turkey neck thing going on). Now they are about the same size as the chooks and I'm thinking the two will start outgrowing their coop-mates shortly.

Not surprisingly, I have no idea if they are toms or hens. They both look identical so I'm thinking they might be the same sex. The lady I got the eggs from told me to look for differences in the head, neck and tails. Male turkey heads are a little pinker than females. Right now both my turkeys have beige - light brown heads. Male turkey necks will have a little more hanging skin. I'm not noticing that yet. But they are small and it's hard to see under their necks. If I'm holding them, they are more interested in cuddling or talking up a storm than obligingly stretching out their necks in an upside down position so I'm not even trying. The biggest 'tell' apparently is the males will start fanning their tails while females never do this. No fanning yet that I've seen. So I'm thinking, may-be, perhaps, there is a chance, that these two are hens. Which would be the best case scenario because I might be able to get a tom this fall from the seller. So I would have my trio for over-winter.

They're both still are sweet and personable. If they are not grooming themselves, they are grooming the chickens, especially the Delawares. They get along with the other birds. In fact, one little turkey managed to get out of the chick area and spend the night with the adult chickens. I found him there in the morning, fitting in like a dirty shirt. I was thinking of just putting the two in the main coop since they'd get along with everybody but I really want the turkeys to be on grower crumbles for the next three months or so. They still run over to me, usually blabbing away in that unique semi-musical chirp they have. You can always tell when there's a turkey around, their voice is one-of-a-kind.


Ever curious, a turkey will stop whatever he's doing to see what I am doing (that or he's just mugging for the camera). The Delaware chicken, on the other hand, couldn't care less and continues to eat.

Well, no tail fanning, no hanging neck skin and no pinker head, indicating a hen. But what do I know? (not much according to the chickens).

Something's Missing

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To Ten Million Fireflies

I'm Weird 'Cause I Hate Goodbyes

I Got Misty Eyes As They Said Farewell

"Fireflies" by Owl City, 2009

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At my Grandparents farm (Hilda and Bernard) or going camping, I marvelled at the firefly. As a little kid chasing the magical pale green flash there was an excitement. As an adult sitting on my porch watching the fireflies green beacon float intermittently over my lawn there's a sense of calm the accompanies childhood memories. As a grandma I pointed out fireflies to my grandkids and watched them light up with amazement as the fireflies put on their early evening show.

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In the last two years, I haven't seen one firefly. Not one. And I've been looking. Apparently fireflies are disappearing worldwide. There's even a Firefly Watch program. The usual culprit is to blame - Man. I have learned that loss of habitat and light pollution is likely to blame for the declining numbers. I miss the fireflies and I'm going to try to see if there's anything I can do to help them make a comeback in my little part of the world. I hope that sweet, peppy innocent song I quoted at the top isn't sadly prophetic.

Bonkers for Basil

Nothing like a big bowl of freshly picked basil, it positively defines "fragrant".

My basil is growing wonderfully this year. I could say it's growing like weeds but after six years of gardening, this particular saying has lost all its appeal for me. I selected a seed pack that had a variety of basil types; regular, Thai, Vietnamese and a few others. Some look like little bushes and have smaller leaves, some are purple, all are tasty and scented beautifully. The great thing about having rabbits is that the basil never gets a chance to flower; I'm always taking the tops off to add to the rabbit greens. The plants thrive and become sturdy and bushy. The basil with the smaller leaves are perfect for the rabbits because they love to eat the stems as well as the leaves.

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A few youngsters and a Mama enjoying basil. Mama is insisting they share.

A couple of days I ago, I figured I better harvest some for the humans before the rabbits ate it all. I love using fresh basil and it's a simple task to preserve it. I do so much drying that drying space is at a premium around here. I could freeze it on cookie sheets then bag it for later use. But I have to freeze it whole and use it whole but usually I don't want whole leaves in my sauces and stews. Thawed out whole basil no appeal at all, it fact, it's downright yucky... and slightly slimy so chopping it is not anything I want to do. I could mince it all up, add a little water and freeze it in ice cube trays. That works fine but it tends to spit and spittle when added to a hot pan. Luckily I came across an idea in one of my herb books that takes this method one step further and the result is just perfect for me. I mince up the basil in the food processor and then drizzle in olive oil as the basil spins. I add enough oil to make a runny paste. Then I freeze it in ice cube trays for a couple of days then transfer the cubes (freed from the cold confines of the trays) to a freezer bag, label it and I'm done lke dinner. When I'm frying or making sauces, stews, etc., I throw in a frozen cube for instant flavour in the pan! Tasty and simple make such a nice pairing, especially over spaghetti!

Fragrant memories of summer in the making! An ice cube tray of basiled oil ready for the freezer.

Chicken Management or ARRRGGG!!!!!!

I've never had so many issues with chooks before. Last year, I raised a bunch, stuck 'em in the main coop when they got old enough and come fall, ate the roosters and had more laying hens. With the exception of the Timbits Drama, everything was honky-dory. This year, nobody is co-operating with me. I swear, they get together in little groups brainstorming how to make my life miserable, I can just hear them...."OK, you two will get out and hide in the corn. You over there, act like a hen and then when she's sure you're female, CROW! Hahaha, cackle, cackle, cackle, gafaw, gafaw, gafaw."

Here they are, plotting against me, I'm sure the two with their heads down are in cahoots!

I got a few different types of birds this year and may-be that is what is adding to the challenges but I don't see why. I mean a chicken is a chicken, right? Apparently not. I tried to get breeds that are very mellow and calm but I guess personality trumps genetics every now and then.

I really like having green eggs so I got six Americauna eggs plus two day old chicks and three or four Americauna mixes from my own Leah. And out of the twelve, I might have two females! Arrrggg!

I'm pretty sure this little Americauna cross is a female. (please, please, please!!!)

I decided to get other laying hens, too so I ordered six from the feed store. Good thing I did, considering the male Americana fiasco. I think these hens are hybrids. They will lay brown eggs. They're very mellow and not shy at all. While they are smaller than the dual purpose chickens, they get along famously with everybody. And the best thing about them, I know they're hens because that's what I ordered.

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The laying hens colouring differs by shade of brown and the amount of white. It is kind of nice, adds a little pizazz to the coop. `

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Another breed new this year is Delaware. They're a duel purpose bird, said to be very mellow and sweet. Ha!!! Not when compared to my wonderful Partridge Chanticlers and Buff Orpingtons. A couple of the roos have real attitude. They are a pretty bird, though; white with black speckles on the tail and around the neck.

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Here's one doing his early morning calisthenics. Don't ask me why, I don't have a clue.

Some Delawares have lots of black speckles. I think this one is a female...may-be...perhaps.

Others barely have any speckles. But they're still growing so that might change.

The big issue right now is the cockerels being jerks. Last year they just hung together being jerks only when the opportunity arose. This year, they're constantly at each other and chasing the hens relentlessly. No-one has gotten seriously injured yet but I think it's coming and that is something I want to avoid at all costs. So I'm trying to separate these teenagers according to sex but it's difficult for me still. I think someone is a male, stick him with the other males and then it's obvious he's a she, put her back with the pullets and ~voila~ she turns back into a he. They're doing it on purpose, I'm sure of it.

Here's two Ameriacaunas and one Americauna cross (the brown one). I'm pretty sure the two very impressive and pretty silver/black ones are males. The cross looks like a male when it is with the ladies, it struts and chases them. But next to males, it looks kind of heny.

So I spent the better part of a morning re-arranging the chooks again. I don't think it's perfect but it seems to be very much improved. Almost no squabbling and the pullets are much more relaxed and happy. I put the biggest, toughest teenage roos in the big coop where the adults will keep them in line. They are adjusting to life in the 'big house' well so far. So it's just a matter of watching closely and continue to be on the alert for chickens changing sex just for the amusement of seeing me go insane.

I can't tell you what sex either of these two are but I'm pretty sure the one on the left is a cat.

Chicken Coop Cat

I really wish people would neuter/spay their pets. More than that, I wish people would clean up their own irresponsible mess instead of dumping it in my chicken coop. Ticks me off. OK, enough of the belly aching, besides ranting rarely helps anything (just ask Mel Gibson).

A couple of weeks ago I went into the coop and found this little guy asleep with the baby chickens. I have no idea how he'd get in there. Both people doors were closed, the only way in would be through the chicken door which would lead him to the main coop, not the baby chick area. And he would have had another door to contend with, not to mention a gate and fence to get to the area I found him in. Irregardless of how he got there, there he was. The chicks were perfectly fine with him there, not bothered at all.

While the kids and I were discussing what to do, he woke up. I went to reach for him and got attitude all wrapped up in hisses, teeth and claws. He was small and probably couldn't do much damage but wimpy me went and got yard gloves anyhow. When this little cat realized I was reaching for him, he tried to get away. He stood up, wavered, took a couple of unsteady steps and fell over. Picking him up was like picking up a small fur covered wire hanger, my hand swallowed him up. I made a little box for him on our front porch. I fed him wet cat food, I thought he was too young for it but I had nothing else. He ate it and had a nice long nap. For the next week or so he didn't do much but eat and sleep ... and hate me.

And hate me he did. Ran away every time and I had to catch him to feed him. He'd spit and hiss when I finally cornered him and I'm pretty sure he used swear words when I picked him up. After a few days, he would make himself known to me, meowing and coming out of hiding but would still run when I went to pick up. But he wouldn't run far and would allow himself to be picked up. I started petting him as he ate so he'd get used to it. He purrs now when I pick him up and likes to be petted. But I can still see him fight the urge to scamper away when he sees me coming and sometimes the urge still wins.

I can't have another indoor cat. Whisk hates all cats and has chased this one already. I am trying to find him a good home but that is not likely. I won't give him to anyone not willing to have him altered. He's obviously feral and is never going to be a cute and cuddly pet. So far, no-one would bother to have a barn cat altered. I'd be lucky to find someone who'd actually feed a barn cat on a regular basis. But I'll keep looking.

In the short while he's been here, he's improved immensely. He has a little kitty-cat round tummy now. He's doubled in size and barely fits into my cupped hands. He's learned the basics of keeping his face and paws (and hopefully other areas) clean. I thought he was about 2 weeks old when we found him but he might have been older; maybe he was just really small because he was starved.

Two days ago, I started feeding him in the chicken coop storage area. I left the door open so he could leave when he wanted to. But he didn't leave. He's very happy in the coop. Whisk won't go near the coop and that solves the dueling kitty problem. So that's where he'll live. If he's still around when he's older (and a lot tamer), I'll take him to the vets for shots and ultimately get him fixed. I really don't want another cat but it looks like I have one.