Garden o' Weedin'

Like most of you, I get up at five thirty and make the coffee first thing. You might be saying to yourself, "Now, there's a woman with her priorities straight!" Maybe you're not saying that. It's probably just one of the many voices in my own head. Then I feed and water the baby chicks and turkeys brooding in the garage, unload the dishwasher, maybe start some laundry, check in my work e-mail and then heat up bottles of milk for the 7am feeding of the lambs. By 7:30am I am on my school bus route and possibly going to the grocery store or Zumba class (depending on the day of the week).

When I come home, I check work mail again. Sometimes I'm trapped there for hours and I grab a shower just before I have to go out and play school bus again on the afternoon route. This week work gave me enough of a break that I could turn my attention to our garden of neglect instead of the phone and computer for a change.

While Michael has been slaving away in New York to support our hobbies and pay the mortgage, I decided it was time to reclaim the garden that had been overtaken, primarily by the ever present and invasive Bermuda grass. I pick axed my way through a number of what used to be rows. I then finally planted my Yukon gold spuds, sweet potatoes an anemic looking tomatoes and peppers that survived my attempt at growing from seed. Yay!! Survivors!!! Truly Darwinian gardening.

Here you see the line of defense with Bermuda grass in the foreground. In the back you can see my garlic, onions & shallots. I later had to delve deeper into the triple threat of Bermuda, bind weed and red ants. I did you a favor by not including a photo of my ankles after the ant attack. I have some skin left ... Not much.






I cheated and put some carrot starts from the nursery in the potato row so that people wouldn't assume it was unplanted and ripe for trampling.





Here are the alliums before the massive three day cultivation. I found volunteer carrots, marigolds and tomatoes amongst the nasties. I'm amazed at the little treasures that revealed themselves to me. Yay! We eat food from the yard in spite of my best efforts to kill the plants. I really can't take much credit.








Valerie & Amira have had their spring break this week while Rex has had to go to school. (He had his break last month ... We are doomed to be on conflicting vacation with every kid in Chico as long as I have the girls at Blue Oak). Valerie spent a couple of days with her friend Ruth (who also had the week off). Ruth graciously helped Valerie with the chores (taking the poultry babies out to the tractor, putting them back in the brooder, bottle feeding the lambs and walking them on leash ... Not to mention dishes and general clean up as well as egg collecting).

Here they are in front of my poppy hedge. Ruth has Bambi and Valerie has Forbes. Heel, Forbes! Heel, I say!










When the girls had enough forced labor, I mean, "holiday farm camp" they called Neni & John to rescue them. Those Bollingers provide a full service operation. Neni drove over to pick up three girls who promptly popped out in their swim gear. I continued pick axing weeds. I like to keep my chiropractor in business.

When I was tired of cranking about the Bermuda in the back, I turned my attention to the front. I need to weed, re-mulch and set up watering. In fact, I took time out at the end of the day to hand water each plant (and there are loads!!) Of course, at the end of the day we got a surprise thunder storm. My plants will be so grateful. Actually, I can hear the Bermuda snaking its tendrils back through the garden. Doh!

Here's looking out our living room window to the north toward the new sheep shack Michael is building. Little water droplets stick to the window before sliding down to quench my camellias and gardenias.

Turkey in the Straw

With all the lovely weather our little poultry flock takes daily field trips out to enjoy the sunshine, grass and bigs. These turkeys are surprisingly good foragers. I think their little chick buddies are good teachers.

Here's the whole batch out being busy.

Michael has really taken a shine to the sheep. He loves bottle feeding them and bringing them treats during the day. When he's not doing this, he's busy building a sheep shack.



We have been visited by loads of humming birds. This one perched above the sheep/chicken area while we were out with the varmints.



Last night Grampa Alligator brought some preserved animals over for dissection. The girls were all over it. What's that on the picnic table, caviar? No. Frog eggs and possibly the remains of a crawfish.





Fun, fun, fun!!

Evening at Rancho Wilhelm

What did you do Monday? I picked up Amira from guitar lessons, Valerie from orchestra, a friend near by, hit up a taco truck and then took the girls to their monthly 4-H Community meeting. When we came home, Michael & Rex had already fed the lambs and had the basketball game on.

I was going to have a seat and zone out when suddenly there was a turkey on the coffee table. Then a hamster dropped in. This was followed by a surprised looking chick and a photo session ensued.
















Of course the turkey pooped on the table and the hamster tasted it. Then, since turnabout is fair play, the turkey tried to eat the hamster poop.


In order to get these photos, a lot transpired. In fact, here's a behind the scenes video:

You're welcome.

Spring Chickens

Upon our return from the land of red rocks, our first order of business was to pick up Bambi & Forbes. They had gotten so big that I couldn't believe it. But still so cute and expectant for that bottle! Love those little waggly tails.



Amira went to her first poultry show with 4-H.



And this week we finally received our Red Rangers from the hatchery. These are not show chickens or a 4-H project. These are future dinners.

I received the call about 7am from the post office. We piled in the Swagger Wagon and hauled down to the loading dock at the back of the post office by 7:30am. A box of peeps was promptly handed over. That's right, teaching the kids how to pick up chicks.

After I dropped all the kids off at school I swung by the feed store for an impulse purchase. It has been two years since we kept turkeys. So the utter annoyance of keeping them was sort of a distant memory. I guess it's sort of like forgetting the pain of child birth. We just remembered the entertaining parts. I suppose that's the royal "we".

"I say, Sir! I'll have 5 of your hardiest broad breasted bronze!"

"You gotta watch those turkey poults. They'll look fine one minute then be dead on the bottom of the cage the next."

"Yessir. That's why I'm taking FIVE. Of your HARDIEST. Put that skinny one back and grab that big bruiser, please."

This afternoon when the kids got home from school they ran to the box in the garage to hold the chicks.

"Hey, why do some have spots?"

"Yeah! Why are some ugly?"

"Oh no! These aren't TURKEYS???"

Well, perhaps I was the only one who forgot the turkey peril. I of have a rather selective memory. It's what allows me to ... get through each day.

Below is a short video of the brooder box. Notice how the chicks are eating and drinking and chirping. Notice the poor dazed and confused things amongst them. Yup. Turkeys!

Double Rainbow

We have had some crazy weather out here lately. We are so happy to have received some rain! And with some of these showers come beautiful rainbows. Michael photographed this one from our back yard Monday night.

Baby Lambs!

Amira was playing with the slo-mo effect while catching lambs on the couch.

Selfie with Bambi.








Why, yes, we were raised in a barn! The lambs, however ...

Room Service

Sunday morning was the one morning we had this week to luxuriate and sleep in. When I finally roused myself to get dressed, I heard a rap, rap tapping at my door, "Just a minute. I'm getting dressed." I called to the door while pulling a shirt over my shoulders that were still sore from Saturday's yard work.

"Okay, but it's kind of heavy" Amira replied from the hall. Now when someone makes that statement, I have no idea what I'm going to see when I open the door. I grimaced and swung the door open to find Amira holding a tray with a couple of tea pots and a cup for Michael. "Hey! You made tea for Daddy! How thoughtful. I thought I smelled coffee this morning too. Do you know how to make my coffee?"







"Mommy, NOBODY knows how to make your coffee." Fair enough. I am a pick control freak when it comes to my coffee.







Madelyn's mom was driving the girls to the sheep barn for lambing at 4-H this day. I didn't have to be there until 3PM to pick them up so I thought I'd do some work in the garden of neglect and start some more seeds.

At about 1:30PM Carol, Valerie's 4-H leader, called me and sounded very serious and needed to talk. At first I was a little concerned that something had happened to Valerie. But any worries were quickly dismissed when I realized the true nature of her call.

She had a little ewe lamb that was wasting away because her mother had mastitis and her brother was drinking all the milk out of her good teat. Then she had a different momma who was trying to kill her little ram lamb. Now, she knew that Valerie was planning to get a couple of sheep in June after they were weaned ... But how would she like to take these two today? Go talk to your husband. I didn't say anything to Valerie yet. And if the answer is no, I won't.

I was so excited about taking the lambs but had to check it out with Michael first. He was out in the drizzle hooking up water to all the plants I'd put in the day before. "Honey, Carol called. Can we talk for a minute?" His response was like, "OMG! Is Valerie okay??!" I'm not the only one who worried.

His response was like, sure, she can take the lambs and bottle feed them every three hours and clean up after them, if it's okay with you, because I'm leaving for a job for ten days, coming home for a few and then leaving again.

True. This would not be an immediate imposition ... For him. Actually he didn't take any coaxing at all. That was too easy!

By 3PM I had a car full of girls and lambs.
































After I dropped Madelyn off at home I still needed to take one more person home. This would have left Valerie to hold two sheep. So I swing by the house. Amira and Rex were inside. I said, "











When we got home, Michael came out to see them and Rex was as surprised as we all were. But look at this grin on Michael's face as he holds a 2 day old lamb. Her name was Feather but Valerie changed it to Bambi. She cited my rule about no more ironic pet names (Fat died from obesity, Lucky was eaten by a hawk). Since Feather was tiny, weighing only 4lbs because she was starving ... She also cited the fact that she told a friend that she would name a ewe Bambi.











Michael has been getting up for 2:30am feedings with Valerie and wiping their little faces as well as bottle feeding while I'm at Zumba and kids are at school. I married Superman!












This little guy is named Forbes.








Anyhow, Michael is off working. Valerie is taking the night shift. I'm trying to squeeze in feedings all day along with everything else I do.

I will never get this posted if I don't do it today. So, see cute baby lamb pix & videos below.






Now, this is ROOM SERVICE! (Living room service)


Valerie is a good mom. Here's an instructional on how to feed a baby lamb:

Susan dropped by just after they arrived at our house. She had no idea she'd get to hold baby lambs.






Lastly, if your living room didn't look like this on Monday morning, I'm sorry.