Gardens, Bees and Chicken Feet

Summer is a busy time around the Usher place,

never a moment's rest until the gardens are put

to rest and the winter months arrive, more 

quickly than anticipated-- or wanted.

Saturday morning began at 4 AM, preparing to help

 our neighbors butcher their chickens, as they

helped us last weekend.  It is great to share the workload

and set up an assembly line to get the job done faster.

Afterwards it was back home to can a few pints

of Aunt Mary's hot pickles with the pickling 

cucumbers that are starting to come in.

We set up a trail cam to find out what was 

able to penetrate the fencing and bite off cucumber

stems that are about three feet high, past a 

4 foot+ fence in narrow garden beds.

A deer would have trouble, with the beds so narrow,

jumping into the other side of the fence and it would

have disturbed the dirt and other plants.

Truthfully, I was thinking a giraffe, but not sure how

many we had running around wild here.  Or tame for that matter.

Maybe an ostrich or am emu?

Just kidding, probably birds or our raccoon friends, but

I would think a raccoon would eat the fruit, not nip off a branch. 

There was also cilantro bit off from the top, romaine too.

Our visitor, probably the one that comes to 

the porch and eats the leftover cat food.

With black bear now in our area we may have

to rethink that plus our chicken food storage.

I will tell you that the Cornish Cross chickens have the

BIGGEST FEET EVER!  Our neighbors were saving them,

dehydrating for dog treats.  I don't have a dog and not

interesting in eating them so we didn't keep ours.

The flower garden had been doing well with the cool spring and

wet weather but I am having to water now that temperatures have

hit near 100's.  It has helped the vegetables though, peppers have

doubled in size from last month.

I have flowers and herbs planted in the larger garden

for the bees. They have salvia, zinnias, lavander, 

snap dragons and of course the flowers from squash plants

and the tomatillos, elderberry and blackberry plants.

They seem to be doing well and they don't bother

me at all while I am at the garden. They may buzz

but don't sting.  I don't care for them to be at face level

though and I now make sure I keep my shirt tight 

around my waste so they don't fly up.

What would I do then?

Well, it's my birthday so at some point today we 

will go eat --at Denny's--because they send me a 

coupon for a free breakfast which is served all day.

I can't eat the pancakes anymore so I will choose 

something else.  Then it's back to the house for more work.

See you all later.