The Garden - Volunteers, Food, Weeds and Blight

In recent years my sunflowers have been "volunteers", planted by last years' fallen seeds wherever they may end up after the garden has been turned and tilled.

 

The birds will have few, but large heads to feed on very soon.

Hopefully they will leave a seed or two behind for next year.

As always, my vegetable garden started with big dreams - too big - but food was harvested.

Some of the asparagus I planted from seed three years ago had a second, small, delicious crop.

But as soon as we had the combination of heat(came early in June) and rain(came abundantly in July), the garden - as usual - became a weedy mess, saved only by Dave's vigilant weeding and mulching during the stinking heat.

However, the dispiriting thing was what seemed to be blight.

It started here,...

... and soon branched out.

A few batches of sauce are in the freezer, but much more of the harvest went to the chickens.

At least it didn't go to waste.

The chickens were very happy.

 As Mia likes to remind me - 

Man plans. God laughs.

Adeline's Quarantine Protest

It will soon be two weeks since the fair, and Adeline, Ali and Trixie have been in quarantine, just in case they picked something up from the other animals.

For a couple of days all of them were just happy to be home, and able to browse on their choice of weeds. 

But then being confined from the rest of the herd began to get on Adeline's nerves, and she staged a protest.

I turned around while filling water tubs for the other goats, and saw Adeline standing on the shed. 

I didn't even know she could jump that high.

I learn something new all the time about that goat.

But that wasn't enough.

Next she decided to stage a sit in. 

Problem was, the roof was too pitched and she began to slide off.  

That just made her more angry (See the video!).

She gave me a few pieces of her caprine mind.

So in between the slipping and sliding,

she began to tear apart the roof of the shed with her head,

and teeth -

...and eat it.

I guess she showed us!

My Retirement Place

Took me a while...

...But I love it.

Indoor Recess(Its Cold Out There)

Here's a VIDEO from yesterday morning.

El Baño de las Cabras (Bathing of the Goats)

Say what?
I missed it.
You missed it.
The annual Bathing of the Goats.

I looked at my "Goats" slide show over on the right column and could NOT figure out what these people were doing with goats on the beach and in the surf. Couple of clicks and I found this blog, Real Tenerife.

Check it out. The writer is good and the blog - interesting.
"Yesterday was Midsummer’s Day or the feast of San Juan (St John), a time of magic and ancient ritual and a time when Tenerife’s livestock get their annual baptism in the healing waters of the Ocean.

A tradition dating back to the Guanche indigenous people who populated the Canary Islands before the Spanish conquest, baño de las cabras (bathing of the goats) in the Midsummer water is said to keep the animals healthy and fertile for the coming year.

But as far as the goats are concerned, that whole “it’s for your own good” stuff just doesn’t cut it. Clearly completely averse to water, they behave as if they’re being systematically tortured and clearly assume the intent is to drown them, in broad daylight, in front of hundreds of witnesses."

Read the full blog here:http://realtenerife.wordpress.com/2010/06/25/bano-de-las-cabras-%E2%80%93-acting-the-goat-in-puerto-de-la-cruz/

Do watch the poor goat in the video. We now know that when push comes to drowning, goats can swim.

If this isn't a festival of torture, it sure sounds like one. Have I mentioned how goats hate rain? How they hate to get their feet wet when we flood?Clearly, this goat is not having fun.

Just who is the nut that came up with this? I suspect a drinking buddy started this with a friend as a bet, and it went from there.

This story proves my theory. Fiestas of San Juan – Midsummer Magic

The rest is Midsummer's Day history.

Got Boxers?

This one's for my sister-in-law Becky. I think she'll enjoy this.

Wise Words Seen On Cars

And in today's email:

"Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass...
it's about learning how to dance in the rain."

Flambe

This is what happens when you have too many thing on your mind.My nice garlic bread went in for a little bit more browning, and as we were eating, Dave asked if I was still cooking something. The smoke was filling the kitchen, and when I opened the oven, my bread was in flames. I threw the sheet pan into the snow, and the bread kept burning long enough for me to find my camera and take these shots, stop the smoke detector from shrieking, and go back out to take another look. Still going.Well done.

Think Warm

Sarah, of my Michigan family of friends and blog followers, recently bought this shirt for a friend. Wish we were there (Hawaii that is). Been frigid here. My goats would be wearing knitted scarves if we made a t-shirt today!

Thanks for sharing Ann and Paul.

So What's Her Occupation?

We were behind this car at a red light, and it took a while to solve, but then we couldn't figure out who would have this vanity plate.

Ideas?

Zola - How The Heck?

This was Zola on a good day - yesterday. This is how I found Zola this morning.
Doesn't she look awfully pathetic?
If you wonder why I took the time to take a photo - I had a couple reasons. First, I tried moving the hay rack, and it was stuck in an awkward spot, and it is heavy to move. On first attempt, I barely budged it. I needed time to look it over and figure it out.Second, I didn't know how to explain this, so a picture is worth a thousand words - again!

My theory is that the rest of the goats got sick and tired of Zola's bossiness. She is the "top" goat. They ganged up and tipped the hay rack on her. She was very quiet for a while!

I guess we're lucky no one got hurt.

Video Glitch

Hello Friends!
I have a post in draft, but the video won't load up.

Its late. I'll work on it tomorrow. Perhaps I need to call this guy!

G'night!

MacGyver Works Here

Just a little duct tape and its all better.

Favorite Bumper Sticker

George Clooney and Goats?

Well first I just kept seeing this little picture on my Goats slide show.

Then it got the better of me. Why was there a soldier and a goat indoors with a camera?

Then I saw the caption and took a second look. Bizarre!!

George Clooney stars as Lyn Cassady in Overture Films' Men Who Stare at Goats (2009)

Can't wait till this movie comes out.

George Clooney and Goats??

Goat Transport

The first PASA Field Day that I went to was in June 2007. Sandy Miller and her family hosted the day. I have followed her blog on my sidebar about as long as I knew what a blog was. Today she posted this picture she found. If you want to know more about what is going on, go to her Painted Hand Farm blog by clicking the photo.

Happy Father's Day!

I'm not sure if I've been doubly insulted or not.
For Mother's Day the cats gave me a bird foot, piece of gut, and feathers. Here Mom - leftovers.

For Father's Day they brought a sizable headless rabbit. Here Dad - dinner.

Then there's the card.

But I got a nice card that day, so I'll get over this also.

Its Almost Over

Just a pretty hello on a windy, back to winter kind of day. I think I cursed us by writing the word summer yesterday, so I found this picture from just a couple of days ago. Remember the sun? I've been generally absent from the blog and reading and quilting, for what little I do in that category. I've been doing my volunteer stuff that I can't do half way and then found out I've done too much. Can you believe it? I though I'd read all those instructions, printed all the forms, gotten my ducks in a row.

Its a grant for the trail project in Ligonier and its going to be a great thing if we get the money for the feasibility study. I hate to even type that word anymore!! The due date is Wednesday and I've done more than enough. Just waiting for maps from another person who is helping out and is having trouble with his part.

So we are waiting for kids. The due dates start TOMORROW! Zola and Uno are lumbering around looking quite uncomfortable.

I have a name for a buck if he gives me a hard time. Grant. Not like Ulysses. Like what I've been working on for a month, year, whatever. I emailed my blogging bud and proofreader Diane about the name and then mentioned - and then Grant gets castrated.

I got the old ROFL (Mom- and others- that means Rolling On the Floor Laughing) back in an email. My answer was that she gets to hold him!

Snickers wrestling Mia. They are always at it.

Feeling a bit cranky are we???

Two Headed Goat

An amazing secret has been hiding at the farm.

If you look in the middle of the photograph, you will see the sight that caught my eye today.

Admittedly I was tired, and my feet and back were sore, but don't you see it too?

Leaning against the bucket?

Our two headed goat kid.

Maybe this will get us on with Letterman or Leno.