Chokecherry jellies and blackberry jams

Just look at the size of these berries. I couldn't ask for better, especially since they were free. I just had to do the picking. I do however recommend, not wearing flip flops when trying to wedge your way into a very old blackberry bramble that has been left to grow unchecked for who knows how long, and is full of thorns.

Finally not a chicken failure

At least not a, letting a hen hatch out some eggs failure. It's only taken four years, but it finally worked.

And this is why they're called cottonwoods

We have a large stand of old cottonwood trees on the property in front of the house. It's like having our own little forest out there. I't beautiful in the late spring and all through the summer. I love going out there and just sitting under the trees and watching the chickens hunt and scratch around, or just listen to the birds. 

Where have we been?

August 5th of last year. That's the last time I wrote anything on the blog. I think I got a little burnt out on documenting everything, and things got a little lazy-ish around here. The horses were doing the same horse stuff.

We never did get the fence finished around the back of the yard so the chickens came in and ate most everything in the garden. Connie and I gave up weeding it and it looked like a jungle. They ate the corn seeds out of the ground and what didn't get ate, got flooded. The squash took over the world. The chicks we hatched either got ate by the skunks or hawks. I had three survivors to speak of when it was all said and done, and they weren't even ones we hatched, they were ones we bought.

Three survivors in front

We got a few loads of firewood.

Jess joined the Army but came back home
 

 Heather made me get out of the house and go play in the snow a few times.

We lost Fudge

And added two new puppies to the EverStuff. Rudy is a Dachshund and Tanzy is a Cane Corso.  

Amye came out to visit for a few days.

Norman is still growing, pooping and getting ready for the freezer.

I've gotten in a little fishing

 

And that's where we are up to today. I got a bit of chicken wire fence up around the garden to keep out the girls. It's cloudy and rainy-ish and I was going to go put out some been and lavender seeds in the garden, but I just might stay in and wait for Scott to get back from Boise.