Flowers, Chickens and Gardens

Last night I revived what was left of the flowers from the wedding by mixing them with lilacs.
They don't really have anything to do with this post, but aren't they pretty?

This weekend really kicked off summer around our house. My hubby actually put sawmill and other projects on the back burner and got some of our own work done on Saturday, then spent Sunday at our family cabin relaxing and fishing. (A rarity; sometimes I think that man doesn't know how to relax!)


Monday, I turned our chickens loose for the first time. What an adventure.


Did I ever show you our chicken aquarium? When the chicks outgrew the Rubbermaid tub they were living in, I rigged up this structure. (The actual coop is still a work in progress.) We acquired a pile of the old freezer doors from the local grocery store when they moved into their new location. We intend to construct a greenhouse out of them by next spring for growing seedlings in. Being freezer doors, they're well insulated and should do an awesome job.

Anyhow, their current job is being walls for a chicken room in our shed. Two sides of the room are doors, one end is plywood, and the other is a tub on end to create a more protected space. The great fun is that you can watch them from the outside, just like an aquarium. Although it drives the dog nuts, the kids love it!

So, back to yesterday. I opened the door and let the chickens out to roam. The kids were enthused, to say the least.


I finally had to get them to sit out of the way to keep from chasing the poor things right back where they came from.

It took them a while to quit peeking and actually come out and explore. I don't think they made it more than 20 feet from the shed all day. What brave little souls.

Oh, and speaking of that dog, Sam- I see some long days chained up in his future...at least until he decides the chickens don't look like lunch...

And then there was the garden. We're growing our own this summer, rather than going in on my in-law's down the road at the neighbors. It'll be close. Handy to run out to. We're excited about that. Prep started with plowing (this picture is actually at the hay field Eric's doing this summer... but it's the one picture of plowing I have. Ha.)

Then discing, raking, cleaning, measuring and marking rows.

And planting.

We borrowed the neighbor's seeder, and boy, is that thing slick. Up and down those 120 foot (yes, 120 foot. My husband is enthusiastic.) rows a few times and the start of it was planted. We've still got to do the mounded stuff; melons, that sort of thing. Thursday. I hope.

Gardens, chickens, beautiful days at the cabin. It's gonna be a good summer.