It's growing...

 slowly but surely. We've had lots of rain with little bits of sun here and there. So things are progressing slowly around here.

But the clover and wild flowers are growing really well. The bumble bees and honey bees are all over the clover right now. I just hate to mow it down. But it always comes right back out the next day. So I don't worry too much about it. I do leave certain places wild for them. I hope to be getting honey this month. There are 6 fully capped frames of honey in a shallow right now. Just waiting for them to fill the rest up. There is still tons of pollen and nectar flowing out there.

Here' is a bumble bee, busy at work.

This s the okra and cucumber garden, down at the bottom of the yard. It's in between the apple ad pear trees. I think I might plant blue berry bushes down here in the fall. But the okra and cucumbers I planted last Monday, are all up and growing fast!

I am really pleased with this corn. I haven't had any luck with corn or beans the past few years. But this year, they are all growing. I'll wait til next week, then put some Blue Lake running beans in the corn.

I planted sun flower seeds down the middle of the crowder pea row. All of them came up! I love sun flowers in the garden. I also have a big bed of zinnias that are doing great too.

And all over the garden, mainly in between the rows, are all these wild daisies. I just love them and have been mowing and weeding around them.  I'm happy to see them all over the garden. They are just happy flowers.

Today is my oldest daughter's birthday. I remember that day so well. She was the best baby and toddler any mother could ask for.  She's had lots of ups and downs and is in a slump right now, but I believe she'll climb out of it soon. She was my birthday present. My birthday is tomorrow. Most of our birthdays here are May and June. My other daughter was born the day before Mother's Day.

I am not going to reach my goal of 51 pounds by my birthday. But I'm ok with that. I have lost another 3 pounds though, so down to 212 this morning! It is still coming off! I might still go ahead and get the tattoo though.

And I am going to start the Brainerd farmers market again this Saturday morning. I am excited, but have to get back into that groove again. I went to the Main St. market yesterday and asked the manager if it wasn't too late, I'd love to come back there again. She said they were having a meeting next week and would bring it up. So I hope to let back in. I miss it there. I have a lot to do before Sat. morning. So off I go.

All is well in the kingdom...

I think I have finally got the animals all put where they need to be again. These goats are a mess!I had them in the back yard since I've had them. Olga has gotten out a few times, and ends up in the milk room. This last time though, was the last straw. My husband looked out the dining room window Monday night. Said there's a goat in the yard. I ran outside and there was Miss Olga, eating a few blue berry bushes. Then she ran to a few more bushes. I finally caught the witch and put them both in the goat yard. She hasn't gotten out yet. Keeping my fingers crossed though.

They both stay right here, at the fence. Whining and calling to me all day. These are 2 lazy goats!

So we walked all around the fence line. I had my clippers with me and cut a lot of locust and oak and pine branches for them. I dragged all the branches to this little tree up in the middle of this pic. I also cut a lot of honeysuckle off the field fence up at the top of the yard. I know the electric fence  is still working because Olga got bit twice! I don't know why I think that's so darn funny, but it is!

And all the sheep and alpacas are back over in the South pasture for awhile. They really are over there. When it gets too hot for them, they all go in this little barn. Where the elderberry tree is, just past it, is a little area they go in. But this grass is nice and tall and lush over here right now. They'll stay here til the North pasture grows back out.

So the sheep and alpacas are all together and the goats are together, separately now though. Where they're supposed to be. I think they are all happy again.

There is a bird nest in the yellow apple tree. I think it's a mocking bird nest.

And the swallow nest is getting bigger every day. It's so funny though. When we're in the milk room milking, they'll both fly in then fly right back out. Sometimes they'll come on in to do some work. There's a phone line right outside the door they sit on. I am constantly talking to them, telling it's ok. They're so cute. I just hope the baby birds don't attract a darn snake later.

Getting forgetful.

This is what happens when I forget I have eggs boiling for tuna salad and go out to cut branches for the belly aching goats who can't fend for themselves. I came back in the house, after I remembered I had eggs on the stove, and found them like this. The one egg exploded and ended up out of the pan. It was still good, so I did get to use 1 egg in the tuna. The other 2 were quite burned. Not a good thing. My oldest grand daughter was still in bed and the husband had just left to go to the store. Could have burned the house down, I guess.

And I only had 5 eggs.

Somehow, the other mother hen decided she'd had enough of mother hood and flew the coop. Well, flew back into the coop. Don't know how she did it, but she's back in with the rest of the hens and Black Bart. The real mother hen is still out with the chicks. Just strange how she got in. Must have flown over. Maybe she'll start laying eggs again!