Missing Willow Farm

We found this little beauty at World Market.  It had a small boo boo on it and was the last one so we got a super deal on it.  We brought it home with the intention of converting it into a bar for our new deck.

We added the bottle opener to the front right.  We’ve had that thing in a drawer for years, waiting to find something appropriate to attach it to.  The towel bar added to the front was on clearance.

The hooks are holding an ice scoop, wine opener and wine charms.  It’s perfect!

We have a few flowers on a few potato plants in the garden and decided to dig and see what’s underneath.  As a result, we’ve got pot roast with carrots and purple potatoes on the menu.  With a side salad and asparagus.  I love it when the garden tells me what’s for dinner.

And my friend Lora brought one over this weekend.  That she made (!)  Lucky me!  🙂

During Chick Days, I brought home 4 layer hen chicks and 6 of a meat breed.  We lost one of the layers within a few days of arriving home (which is not unusual) and the meat chickens all eventually dropped dead over a long period of time for some reason (which is unusual).  We’ll go back to ordering our chicks from Ohio by mail for any future freezer birds.  We recently relocated the hens from a chicken tractor into the little barn with the rest of our layers.  They hang together in the corner like monkeys.  None of our other hens are bothering them in the least.  They’ll eventually get comfortable and join the flock as full fledged members.

We’ve eaten every single meal out on our new deck since it’s completion.  I know hot weather is coming, but we have two outdoor ceiling fans on hand for just that issue.  Brian plans a lot of improvements to the deck.  He’ll wire it for electricity, install the fans and the two lighting fixtures we have on order.  He’ll put a handrail around the jacuzzi and has plans to build two planters and an L shaped bench.  The deck is low enough to the ground not to require handrails, the planters and bench will serve as a barrier to keep folks from accidentally stepping off.

Our hens meet me at the barn door every morning at chore time looking for at treat.  They particularly love leftover bread and I’ve trained them to jump for it.  When five or so chickens fly at me for a treat I realize someone in my place with a bird phobia would probably drop dead of a heart attack.

Our latest harvest included  carrots and our first cucumbers from the greenhouse and garlic scapes from a raised bed.  I’m planning a szechuan cucumber salad, red curry roasted carrots and grilled scapes.

We moved all of our potted tomatoes out of the greenhouse into the garden.  We have some large, gorgeous fruit that I’m hoping will ripen by next week’s market.  I’ve been first to market with tomatoes every year, I’m hoping to continue that trend.

We’ve been away for a few days helping our daughter Tracy and her husband Brad with their new baby (and our first grandchild), Dominic.   We think he’s pretty cute!

This is pretty much everyone except for Summer.  She’s chewing my pants leg, as always.  We’re planning to sell a few of the kids once they’re weaned.  We need to keep the ruminant population density in check to make sure there is adequate pasture available for everyone.