August in Wisconsin

It's gonna be a hot one! The moisture is thick in the air this morning, causing a haze that makes it seem overcast. The sun is trying to burn it off, but then it will become a real scorcher. The mosquitoes are voracious, and anything I attempt in the garden turns into a feeding frenzy for them. I have lots of weeds to pull and veggies to pick but need a net suit to even try.

Tomato season is hitting full force. I have Rose (far right, my favorite slicer), Polish Bulls Horn (center), Whippersnapper (yellow cherry) which I grew upside down in a hanging bucket. red and green Zebra(left)and a salad tomato (center). The Brandywines and plum tomatoes are just starting to ripen. Today I picked eggplant for babganoush (I prefer to cook my eggplant on the grill) a roasted eggplant spread, enough wax beans for dinner and a cross-pollinated summer squash covered in warts.

I picked another huge batch of Basil yesterday, dried some and made another batch of pesto to freeze. It is really enjoying this weather and growing like mad.

This past weekend we loaded 100 bales of straw into the barn with lots of help from Boogie. He considers a stack of straw to be his own personal jungle gym. It's funny to watch him 'help' try to move bales that weigh more than he does!
Since the large sandbox did not seem to be forthcoming, I purchased a very large, shallow tote and a few bags of paving sand (as play sand was not available) and Boogie now has a make shift sandbox, albeit a small one. It's better than going another year without. He loves digging in the dirt! I also had a sand castle kit that I bought off season last winter. When we finally get the big sand box filled I can re-use the tote.

I brought up the dam of the youngest litter of bunnies to remove any mats and pluck fiber before I move her to a doe pen. I'm not allowing any breeding during hot summer weather. I spent an hour grooming out the few small mats and plucking an ounce or so of usable wool. Again, Boogie was his always helpful self, very excited about the bunny even before I opened the carrier!

This weekend also brought a hatch of Light Brahmas and Americanas

Time to get out the hose, fill up the kiddie pool and make sure all the critters have plenty of water, and it's not even 10 o'clock yet.

A visit with Grandpa

A week ago, Boogie and I headed across Southern Wisconsin yet again to visit Grandpa. I meant to get these pictures posted last week, but they were preempted by a surprise birth in the goat barn. We had very nice weather and an enjoyable trip. I took Drip along with this time. He needed a break after dealing with all the girls in season these past few weeks.

Fortunately he rides really well in the car, just climbed in the back and slept most of the way. We did head into town for lunch, where Boogie decided he needed to eat the lemon slice from my iced tea. Otherwise, we just pretty much hung out at the cabin and relaxed.

Boogie likes to play with all the old toys, some are his cousins, some were mine, some Grandpas, some even older. Next visit we will go for a boat ride!There is also a lot of interesting stuff to do outside, which helps to wear Boogie out and then he can sleep for most of the drive home. We didn't make it back until 11:30 and he went right to sleep in his bed. I, unfortunately, still had a goat to milk!I'm hoping we get back over there in a few weeks for the state fair. I think the Boogie-monster would really like that. Mmmmmmm, cream puffs!

Now that was quite a surprise!

Today I was planning on blogging about our trip to visit Grandpa, but mother nature sent me a surprise instead. Boogie and I drove across the state and back yesterday, so we got home very late, nearly midnight. After bundling a dozing Boogie off to bed I headed down to the barn to milk Whitney. Iris, my other doe, has a terminal condition called CAE which creates difficulty for her keeping her weight up, so I left her in the feed stall where she could munch through the night as I often do. I did notice she had a bit of an udder, but wrote that off to hormones. This morning, I waited about an hour later than usual to accommodate for the late milking last night, and to my GREAT surprise found Iris with a doe kid. I took the doe up to the house and went back to milk two goats now and get some milk pasteurized for the new little girl. As I sat down to milk I hear maaaaaaaa, maaaaaaa from the corner and lo and behold a little buck kid as well. I am amazed since Iris had just had twins around the first of the year in addition to her disease. I never expected more kids from her. I pasteurized her colostrum along with Whitney's milk so it didn't turn into custard and both of the kids have gotten a good dose.

Now Boogie has 'babies' to help with, though he really needs to work on being more gentle with the little guys, and I have a busy day moving bunnies off the porch to make room for two bottle babies. In the mean time they are sleeping up in the bedroom. Yes, once again I have goats in the house+

My new toy!

For over 20 years I have longed for a cabinet incubator, and I finally have one! I have used numerous small metal or styrofoam incubators over the years, but now I have hit the big time. The capacity is about six times the size of the styrofoam incubator I had been using, which I can re-purpose as a hatcher. I can hatch out more fertile eggs rather than give them away to others to hatch. Guinea eggs are in the top tray, chicken in the center and Muscovy ducks in the bottom.

Eggplant and sweet peppers ready to pick!

Seed Giveaway!

Check out this blog, New Life on a Homestead, for a seed survival kit give away.
Good Luck!