2013 Spring

Lot of visits in the last few days, not complaining, just wondering!  Always enjoy visits to my pictures, thoughts and gripes.  

Busy, busy, busy around this little farm.  New kits (bunnies) born on Easter Sunday and Star is a good mother.  My rabbits seem to be a bit temperamental and sometimes behave in most unsavory ways.  Pinky's babe has developed into a beautiful little thing, but is still a bit hyper and not comfortable as yet with being handled.   

Chickens are so very happy to have the sunshine and warm weather return and the egg production has once again increased.  The brood has to be thinned but it is hard to do when they are all your babies.

My daughter's farm, Blessed Acres Farm, is growing and developing quite nicely.  She has spring onions ready to sell and they are beautiful!  Too much rain on the strawberries, but that can't be helped.  Maybe just a message that strawberries don't belong on her farm - she is allergic to them!  Greenhouse is filled with sprouted seeds and small plants almost ready to go in the ground.  The spinach patch is coming right along. 

The large field has been twice plowed and harrowed; ready for the rows to be laid and plants or seeds put in the rich ground.  In the next 90 to 120 days we will be feasting on beans, tomatoes, peas, spinach and all the good stuff and all GMO free and natural the way it was meant to be.  Chicks and ducks are thriving in their new space and should come right along in the next few weeks.  By August the chicks should be producing eggs regularly.  Buff Orpingtons are good layers if on the broody side.  She also has Arucanas which I know nothing about, but they are really cute chicks!

It is unbelievable how many people do not know they can not just travel across other people's property.  Many 4-wheeler's cutting through the woods and fields and when confronted are very aggressive as if the property owners are the offenders!  The lack of respect for other people's property and belongings astounds me, but I was raised in a different era.  A few years back we came home to find a man riding his 4- wheeler in the woods next to the house.  When ask who gave him permission, he said he didn't need permission - nobody lived there.  

The few problems encountered will not stop my joy at such a beautiful Spring!  So glad to have all the trees and shrubs budding out and blooming.  The rain has even come at good times to wash to excess away and help keep my sinus' free from irritation!

Many changes occurring in our world - both local and worldwide.  Praying that God protects us as we are forced to accept these changes and that He guides our leaders in their decisions that will so greatly affect us.

Thanks for dropping in and until next time . . .

Happy Reading!
Belle

Just a Little Catch Up!

Things have really started jumping around this little farm and I am trying to hop a long and keep up!  February was dragging along and I was dragging with it until the 24th - yes the day of the last big storm.  Star, my beautiful white and gray rabbit, decided to kindle on this day.  For those of you that do not speak rabbitese - kindle is giving birth.  Babies were dropping here there and yonder and unprepared me was running around in lightening and pouring rain trying to get her pen out of the rain and well stocked with all the needs of a new mother rabbit.  She had four kits (babies) and is a wonderful mother.  I checked on the other doe and Mr. Jedi and they were fine, so Star and I settled in for a quiet afternoon.  After the storms had passed, I fed the chickens and gathered the eggs and low and behold here comes Blondie followed by 12 little ones.  She led them straight to the barn to eat and eat they did!  I returned to check on Cleo and Jedi.  The pen was filled with babies.  Cleo must have danced in the rain and quickly deposited 9 little ones in an unprepared pen.  I lost about 5 to drowning and quickly moved Mother and kits into the second birthing pen.  She was not a good mother!  I ended up with one survivor and moved it into the pen with Star.  She immediately cleaned and fed the little one and now is the happy mother of 5.

I never realized that rabbits grew so quickly.  These little ones are a joy to watch. Star has been weaning them this week and I think she is about ready to go back to the big pen and let the little ones grow on up. 

In the two weeks in between this tumultuous Thursday, something killed 6 of Blondie biddies and my big rooster along with one laying hen.  I am hoping the hen is sitting on a nest somewhere, but I did find two patches of feathers behind the barn.  It had to big a big rascal to get my Barred Rock Rooster - he was huge!
I have managed to get in some sewing and therefore knocked back my stack a bit but not near enough.  That will have to wait though as I have two chairs to cane and those take priority. 

Have to run.  Until next time  . . .
Happy reading!
Belle