Chickens, Dogs and Garden

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Guess who's broody AGAIN!!!

Yes, Martha!

Martha, Martha, Martha.

I'd get her some day old chicks but it's already July and it's almost too late

because it will get cold when they are still young. 

I swear next spring if she does this again, I'll get her some babies!

She's got all the feathers plucked from her chest!!!!

I'm in NE Ohio, so if anyone knows what the latest time to raise baby chicks under a broody hen, let me know.

I let her out of the cage to go out in the yard with the other girls.  Then it's right back to the cage.  At least for another couple days.

She was dust bathing out there.

A beautiful morning in the chicken yard.

Since their run is mostly shady, they need to go out in the yard to get some sun.

My little garden is doing well!  I just staked my two tomato plants today.

Pepsi likes to lay in there on the warm soil.  She always comes over when I'm out there.

Pepsi lays on the table on the deck when the chairs are tilted like this.  I think she feels protected from Dexter chasing her.

Monk lays on the cool cement of the garage when he's not inside in the AC.

Dexter just heard something in the brick pile.  Yes, probably one of those pesky chipmunks.

I hope my dogs can read!!

Shirley

Dexter, the Chipmunk Slayer!

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Dexter

Yes, he's an English pointer.

A bird dog!

But today he finally got something that's been agitating him for months!

The dreaded chipmunk.

The poor chipmunk was probably at the wrong place at the wrong time.

But Dexter got him!

Poor little thing.

Thank goodness he didn't eat him.

But he carried him around for about half an hour, hanging from his mouth.

He tried to show the chickens; they didn't care.

He tried to show Pepsi the cat but she was indifferent. 

Heavens he even went over as close to the 17th green as he could to show some golfers.

He got no reaction.

He finally left it lay so I could get it and go bury the poor little thing.

Dexter, think pheasant and quail.

He probably never saw one.

I don't think Dexter was ever trained as a hunting dog!

One thing for sure, I think he would go after a loose chicken in a minute.

I have to be ever vigilant!

Shirley

Cooling Off Preacher

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We, my daughter Michele and I, went to the barn and Michele rode Preacher for awhile.

The wash rack was filled so I used a cool wet towel to wipe him down and cool him off a little.

He really wasn't all that hot.

But I think he still enjoyed it.

I'm still not able to ride because of my back but I can play  : ))

You see Echo looking on.

He was our "photo-bomb"!

Shirley

Busy Day On The Acre

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Today was the day my driveway gravel was being delivered so I also scheduled my handyman to come.  I also decided to call a friend of mine who often helps me do things to help with raking the gravel.

Everything went smoothly and the truck driver that brought the stones laid it down with the truck so nicely that they just had to rake most of it to the sides.  

Of course there was a big pile that Kerry shoveled into a wheelbarrow and put where ever needed.

I had a big list as usual for Kerry so he was here all day and got everything accomplished.

Besides dealing with the stones in the driveway he cleaned out my gutters, trimmed some big tree branches for me and cut down a large dead rose bush, rototilled my little raised vegetable garden, (It's all ready for planting now.), washed my family room windows, power washed white fence, part of the house and garage and the moss off the garage roof, filled all the holes Dexter had dug!, transplanted some big ferns, unloaded 8 bags of mulch and put them where I'll cut them open later, dug out some huge 5 ft. weeds!, and hung my hammock!!
I think I wrote about him before but I'm very fortunate to have found such a great handyman!
He often brings his wife, like today, and she works right along with him.

Here's the raised bed.  All ready to plant.  It's kind of late but I can plant tomato plants and green beans for sure.

The burn pile is big but we can't burn now till fall as there are baby bluebirds in the bluebird house.

Here they are, just hatched a couple days ago.

I'm worn out!

It's tiring giving all those directions!!  : ))

Shirley

A Walk Around The Yard

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Yesterday I was done with what I was doing and it was a pretty time of the evening.  I took a walk around the yard to see what I could see.

I first peeked into the bluebird house because I know mamma blue bird is sitting on eggs and I wanted at least one look.

Their eggs are so beautiful.  I'll leave her alone now till the babies get a good size, then I'll take another picture.

It's pretty how she put those feathers off to the side!  Very nice decorating!

In another garden I went to turn over an old iron pot and guess who's been storing nuts under there!!

So I just left it.

I walked past the pet cemetery.  It is bad need of a good weeding!

And now I have just the place for those weeds!  The chickens!!

Nestled in the woods in the ivy are a couple little guys.

My storm cellar doors are in bad need of repair or replacement before someone or maybe even Dexter falls right through them!!

Someday I'll show you what's in there from the basement side.  I don't like to open the door as it's all webby and spidery in there!!!

The two knockout roses that I thought were dead were severely pruned back and now are showing good growth.  I guess that's what they needed!

As I decided a year ago that I was going to stop all chemical weed killers and fertilizers, of course I have a lot of healthy weeds, both in the gardens and in the lawn!

But the chickens are healthy and since they are fed organic food and free range in their yard in the back, the eggs are very healthy.

I plan on over seeding any bare spots with pasture grass.

Hey, when you mow it's all green so what's the difference.

Well, there's a big difference to our environment and I sure wouldn't want to eat the eggs from chickens grazing on treated yards!

I'll end this post with a beautiful site I saw in the garden just as the sun was getting low.

I hope you weren't too bored with my little walk.

Shirley