Growing Girls

We've got a lot of little girls growing up around here these days. Seven to be exact! The little Barred Rock ladies have moved into their coop and are sure enjoying it. They are about 9 weeks old now and are looking more and more like hens every day.



The coop, in an (almost) finished state, has lots of bells and whistles, including this interior hatch that opens into the compost bin for easy cleaning. (Yes, my husband is a nerd!)


The back yard continues to progress, and if we could have a stretch of nice weather someday, it might go even faster! Here I am with another growing girl, picking peas. The stone wall is still moving along slowly but surely, and we're planting most of our summer veggies above it, regardless of the unfinished nature of the yard. This time next year it should be quite nice, with a little lawn and patio area, a finished wall, happily laying hens, a fenced-in veggie area, and runner beans to the sky!

Casey with the Camera

Casey's got a good eye for interesting photos. Here are a few of items from our garden.

Wildflowers

Gretel and I took a morning outing up into the gorge last weekend. I was worried that we had missed all the wildflowers this year. But instead of the showy balsam root that usually greets us, we were met with a wonderful sea of bachelor buttons! It was quite magnificent! Gretel had a great time watching birds and picking flowers, and particularly wanted to eat all the rocks in the path . . . yum!

A Visit From (Great) Grandma Norma

Grandma Norma came for lunch last Sunday. We had a very nice visit with her, and she brought us all beautiful handmade quilts! Gretel's is called "Gretel's Garden" and has a rabbit and lots of vegetables on it. She is very taken with it! Thanks for the new family heirlooms Norma!

Our Weekend

The rain let up long enough for us to enjoy a sunny afternoon at a wedding of friends Jason and Amy out at the Grand Lodge. Below, Gretel meets their daughter Jane, who is about 3 weeks younger.

Lots of friends from a previous life were there and they all enjoyed meeting Gretel. Here she is with Leslie.


Today we harvested lots of kale, chard, lettuce and spinach from the garden, which has been producing more than even we can handle! Here is the harvest, or at least the portion that I will take to work tomorrow to share with others less fortunate than ourselves!


And of course, some sleeping in was done. I couldn't resist taking a picture of my two sleeping beauties! Gretel joins us at about5:30 every morning for some nursing, then invariably falls back asleep for awhile longer. That's my opportunity to take a shower!

Bike Helmet!

We've finally found a bike helmet that will fit a kid Gretel's size. She's quite nerdily cute in it, as you can see. With any luck we'll soon be cycling her to daycare in her trailer!