Preparing for Goats

There has been lots going on in our garden... here is a quick update:

The goat pen is *almost* completely fenced, and it looks really great. We will build the shelter later, but for now the goats will have dog igloos to sleep in. Kaden & Kiran don't know yet that this dogloo wasn't bought specifically for their enjoyment.

I planted a tomatillo, a new zucchini (ours had been eaten), a delicata squash and lots of onions. Then I went through and scratched in blood meal around most of the plants, to give them a nitrogen boost. I'm not sure if I did it right, but I kind of dug a line around each plant, sprinkled in some blood meal, and then covered it with soil. I then watered everything really well.

The next day I sprayed everything top to bottom with fish emulsion. Mmmmm... yum yum.

I also got most of the soaker hoses laid out and connected. I am going to bend some wire and secure them where I want them, and then will mulch over the top. Hopefully this makes it easier to keep the vegetables watered while we are gone.

The kids have been picking the ripening strawberries and raspberries like crazy. None of them are fully ripe, but we are enjoying them nonetheless. There are a million bazillion blueberries on our bushes... I am bummed that we will miss their prime picking time, but hopefully they won't be done before we get home.

And the most wonderful news to report, we will have super knowledgeable friends taking care of our house and animals and plants while we are gone!! Some friends of ours are selling their house and have a 3 week gap in between closing and the new place being available...it happens to coincide EXACTLY with the dates we will be gone. We are so happy to know that the fruits of our labor will not be going to waste, and that the goats and chickens will have farm-loving people caring for them...PLUS that it is also helping our friends out as well... I love the way the universe works!! :)

Rhubarb Cream Cake

3 Cups Chopped Rhubarb
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Shortening
1 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
2 Cups Flour
1 Cup Milk
3 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
2 Cups Heavy Cream

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix rhubarb and 1 cup sugar in a bowl and set aside.

Cream shortening and sugar in a mixing bowl, add eggs and beat. Add flour, milk, and baking powder, mix well.

Pour into greased and floured 9 x 13" deep baking dish.

Top with the rhubarb/sugar mixture, and then pour the heavy cream over the top.

Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes, until top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

YUM!!!

Things to Come

I see the corn sprouting up, our blueberry bushes are hanging heavy with unripe fruit. We picked our first strawberry this week--deep red and juicy. The raspberry bushes are also brimming with flowers and fruit, and are alive with bees darting in and out. I am so excited for all that is to come in our garden this summer.

Thelma

We visited our goat today at the farm, and got to see the 7 little babies that were all born in the last week. They are SO cute and soft, and it is so amazing how self-sufficient they are so soon after birth...not like human babies at all! In a week, we will pick out which of the babies will be ours, in addition to Thelma.

Thelma, in the middle, with the other kids
Thelma with her pink collar that Kylin picked out
Isn't she pretty??
The new babies!
The brown girl with the frosted ears is my favorite out of the babies

Frolicking

Nursing-- This baby was just born last night

This morning I was able to spend some time in the garden, while Rich mowed the lawn. I can't wait to get rid of most of our lawn... it is so unnecessary, and such a pain in the butt to take care of. I weeded the beds today, mulched the paths, and planted:
Carrots--in a patch this time, instead of in rows
Marigolds--tucked between plants
Basil--interspersed throughout the tomato bed
Rosemary--in a center herb bed
Majoram--in a center herb bed
Parsley--on an end, near the cauliflower

New Chicks, Round 2

We got our first 2 chicks last Tuesday, and will be getting 2 more tomorrow. These are both sexlinks, one black, the other golden.

ShadowKylin and Unnamed Chick #1
Caleb with Shadow
2 Little Lovebirds, fighting over the poop towel

Giant Slugs & Garden Mulch

Armed with salt in one hand and my camera in the other, I prepared to kill this slug. But, after taking it's picture, I could tell that it was a beneficial Banana Slug, helpful to the garden because it is a decomposer.Rich has been hard at work in the garden this week. He mulched all the paths and beds that are not in use, and transplanted the strawberries that were growing in a path.


I planted sweet potato vines, and the corn and butternut squash from seed. Things are really growing quickly now, and we need to get stakes and trellises up for our tomatoes and beans.

Thanks

Thanks, everybody, for all the condolences and sweet words. I can't believe how much the loss of our chickens has affected me today...

To answer your questions, Kylin was at her dad's this weekend and will come back tomorrow--so I am dreading giving her the sad news. Kaden asked several times today to see the chickens, especially since he had carried a cup full of treats for them down to the coop this morning when we found them missing. I played videos for him that I had taken of the chicks...that seemed to satisfy his need to "look chickens."

We are going to get more chicks ASAP. I don't want to waste any time--the later we get them, the later it will be to start getting eggs, so we are hopping right back on the horse...or whatever that euphemism is. Foster gets more chicks in on Wednesday, so I will be there picking some more up.