and so the garden grows ..

and the chooks start laying eggs ..

and the rabbits escape and are captured

and dogs play




and weeds grow



and the summer winds on

more from the tour

a garden tour

I don't know what this flower is called - but she sure is pretty.

bee balm - far from invasive here

a bank of black eyed susans - one of my favourites

I know you'd never think there were any flowers here from reading this blog but there are - lots of beautiful flowers that have to fend for themselves pretty much! I walked around the gaarden yesterday and snapped a photo of everything in bloom.

500 + kms

3 chickens, 1 agility trial and it's been a long long day

Over 3 days it's probably been 800 km or so - CRAZEEEEEEEE

HOT DOG

Hot dawgs, rabbits, cats, and people too. The only ones not hot are the parrots - but I guess this is how they'd prefer life year round.

It's hot outside - really hot - this morning actually feels a little better but it could just be that we are used to it.

We putter slowly - I collect greens for the rabbits first thing in the am, let puff daddy out then switch bunny run time through the day. Collect again around 7 0r 8 and tuck everybunny in for the night.

Franklin is free ranging on the lawn when we can watch him (heard a horror story this morning about a bear grabbing a handicapped rabbit off a lawn - in a wheelchair no less). He seems to appreciate it.

The dogs and I work agility in tiny chunks. Big T works harder than I can even bear to watch. He's sorted his wood pile, cut wood, cut grass, fixed screens and more. I'm just not that motivated.

I weed - of course! Three weeds at a time are plenty.

Our riding lawn mower has broken fatally. Our friend loaned us a lawn mower which has decided not to start. Our lawn looks like we've been away months.

It's too hot to care much.

and so another summer starts ...

Noah's ark - aka the Ranger and Me - headed east last night loaded to the gills with dogs, cats, rabbits and parrots.

Chickens hopefully arrive next week or the week after.

It was a nice peaceful ride, both loading and unloading went smoothly. I did (OF COURSE) forget some stuff - exta litter pans, food dishes etc but nothing too major.

It's a lovely summer day - cool but not cold and nice and sunny.

It is very strange to be here on July 1 without a passle of Big T's family here ..most of them have come sometime this week to celebrate his mom's birthday for the last 3 years and his parents have joined us this week for the last 6 ...

I will probably head back to the city one night a week or so likely 57 nights here of a possible 63 or so ... YAY

weeding, walking, eating home grown veggies, reading, blogging and playing agility, beach walking - it's going to be a tough summer I can tell already ;)

not nearly as lovely day

but wonderful again as our first cut hay is off the fields (luckily as it's RAINING today - hard)

We had a long walk to see what was up and pretty much the same hay as last year is up ...and now we have a mower to take more off ..hopefully they can pull more off with the second cut :)

Sampson ran and ran and ran some more until I thought he might fall right over - there was cut grass and BIRDS ... including momma birds who did a great job distracting him from nests and kept him moving and moving

Sally ran and enjoyed too but not with the same obsessive air as Sammo

Thea bombed around a bit but I don't let her go too far when the grass is short - we ALWAYS have hawks around

Brody was wet so he mostly trotted along at our heels ...

but we all had fun and Franklin most appreciated the fresh collection we did for him - alfalfa, timothy, plantain, dandelion, maple, clover - what a way to a bunny's heart!

mow wow

The newest work horse (toy?) joined our family today ...


we spent quite awhile getting it then getting it set up and hooked up to the john deere atv - and yes it was hazy, drizzly day off and on - ended up BEAUTIFUL but we had moments ;)

then off to the farm to cut the pond path and the agility field ..

it is AMAZING - did in an hour what it took us at least 3 to do last year with the lawn tractot

we ran the dogs into the ground (well actually they did that themselves)

also planted, weeded and enjoyed veggies from the garden

great day!

rotten rabbit

Franklin, the handicapped satin angora rabbit, loves getting his outside time
it is good for him mentally and he thrives on the fresh self selected food

HOWEVER ... rabbits are prone to fly strike - where flies lay eggs on the skin and the larvae hatch and burrow into the damp folds of the skin ...

so poor Franklin ended up with little larva on him, down in his "nether" region, today - GROSS

I picked them off, killed them and will be checking him with great paranoia for the rest of the summer ... I'm not sure how to balance his out time with the flies ...

the things we do sometimes ...

wow - jungle land ...

and the garden LIKED the rain last week

Everything is looking great - beans, and all the squash type plants are up, peas have pods on the vine, peppers have little peppers on them, tomatoes look strong and healthy, scapies are starting on the garlic plants, onions are looking good. No carrots showing yet nor beets but it will come I'm sure.

We ate wild strawberries yesterday - tiny but oh SO GOOD!!


It is pouring rain with a driving wind so I hope you'll forgive me no pictures ...
yesterday was Dad's birthday so we had Dad and Jean for lunch - lovely, and we put them to work ;) (never ending weeding and inflating tire on atv)