Animal and Plant Update

We grew concerned that the geese were not getting enough food, spending most of their days in the pen where they didn't seem particularly interested in foraging and competing with the ducks for oats in the evening. So they now spend their days in their own pen, which we move every day. They have lots of delicious things to eat and already seem larger and healthier. Success! and happy geese.

Lady says, "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence."

Mick had given the rabbits some munchies, and they sat together in their shelter enjoying the treat.

Happy rabbits!

Roscoe found the most awkward position I could imagine.

"Come here," said the spider to the ant.

Roscoe (again), this time in the one patch of shade he could find. Thank goodness for utility poles!

Watermelon puree is really pink! It made for delicious and refreshing drinks during a relatively nasty heat wave.

We planted two rose plants this year. Roscoe ate one before it even got started, but the other has grown beautifully!

We wouldn't call it "Almost Black," as advertised, but the flowers are a beautiful color.

I also admired the beautiful curl to the petals as the roses opened.

I hope the driveway will be lined with a significant amount of roses someday!

These clouds rolling in from the north signaled the end of our lovely visit with Steve and Nancy.

To be more specific, the downpour accompanying these clouds signaled the end of our visit.

The sky tonight was beautiful too.

Cheers!

Bilco Door

The folks from the Bilco door company brought the cast unit on a large truck.

The truck had a crane attached to it.

They maneuvered the unit off the truck and onto the ground. At this point, I (Sarah) was really confused about how that unit could be oriented to serve as a proper Bilco door.

They drilled holes through the concrete foundation with a mega-drill.

Then they lowered the unit into place. At this point, I was no longer confused about how the unit was supposed to be oriented.

They added the doors and were on their way.

Until we have final grade, it is actually harder to get into the basement than it was without the Bilco door, but it's nice to have the basement closed off!

Baked Beans

Our new favorite food:
baked beans, cooked in cast iron over a fire.

Mick kept the fire going.

He used sticks to move the Dutch oven in and out of the fire, and to remove the lid when it was time to stir.

This batch included pinto beans and black beans (pre-soaked), molasses and ketchup, and bacon and cheap hot-dogs.

Delicious!

Well Pump!

After we tested the water in the well last weekend with Marty and Heidi, Marty got inspired to research and design a well pump for us. He emailed Mick many times during the week with different ideas, put together what he hoped would be a working model, and drove down Sunday afternoon to test it out.

Mick lowered the pump into the well.

The air hose and the water hose were tied to a rope, just in case they had ideas of losing themselves in the well.

They turned on the air compressor.

The engine worked great!

(I love watching the two of them work together.) :)

And before too long, water was spurting out of the hose!

The pump had worked on the first try!

Mick immediately started to fill buckets, with his eye on our drought-ridden plants.

The water comes out in spurts as the air pushes it up.

Roscoe contributed as he usually does.

They then moved the cistern within reach of the pump hose and started to fill that up.

Gallons and gallons of water that can irrigate our plants, without Mick filling up 5- and 6-gallon buckets in the bathtub.

The hose really bucked as the water came through.

The clamp kept the bucking hose in place as the cistern filled.

The pump worked on the first try, with plenty of time for sitting and chatting and enjoying beer and sausage. THANK YOU, MARTY!!

Birds, Birds on the Range

While Mick worked on a small pond for our waterfowl one evening last week, I supervised the birds on a two-hour foraging expedition.

The hens mostly stayed in the longer weeds around the berm -- Mick says they were originally jungle animals, and they certainly do not prefer the open ground. The rooster didn't hunt for food -- his job was to make sure that no one came too close to his hens.

The Welsh harlequins are much more confident about spreading out than they used to be.

The geese and the Khaki Campbells discovered an ancient artifact!

They are very intrepid explorers.

Another group of Khakis chased around what looked to me like a bit of a dead leaf.

I couldn't believe how this goose was demolishing large leaves.

The Khakis then discovered a puddle in what will eventually be our front yard.

Hooray!!

The geese got in on the action too.

As one goose bobs down, the other bobs up.

The geese are fun to watch but certainly not known for gracefulness, haha.

It was quite the wet adventure!

The birds left their mark around all the puddles in the yard.

All this foraging can be exhausting!

Fortunately, there are lots of great spots to take a break.

Roscoe likes to eat grass too!

He's just one of the bunch.

This goose's orange bill didn't look so orange after exploring the dusty subsoil in the yard.

I couldn't believe the black-eyed Susans.

They were everywhere!

A surreal sunset and sky ended our adventurous evening.

Good night, all!