Report For the End of June

It's the end of June, and things are slowing down. That is, if you consider a drop from 120 mph to 117 a significant slow-down.

Finley was at camp all last week, and it was a bit more peaceful around here with only a third of the normal sibling conflicts.

There is a coyote in the area, snatching some of our chickens. Sometimes I don't mind when a predator gets one of our chickens, especially if it is a chicken that doesn't understand the concept of personal space. But one of the birds the coyote got was the mama hen that was raising four chicks. Hot dogs and liver have failed to entice the beast into our live trap. I am working on a plan to raise the height of the chicken yard fence in an attempt to keep the birds somewhere safe.

I noticed one of our favorite chickens had a freakishly massive lump at the base of her neck, and when it didn't go away after 2 days, decided she must have an impacted crop. The food (or a foreign object) gets jammed on the way to the stomach, and it just keeps building up until the chicken starts to die. Thankfully, my brother had dealt with this before, and a day with her locked up with only olive-oil-soaked bread to eat took care of the problem.

I managed to throw some plants I bought on discount from the Co-op into the garden yesterday. I've had them for the past week, but the unplanted part of the garden had grown some major weeds. As I was pulling up the big ones before tilling the rest under, I thought to myself, "I'm not a real gardener. I just play one in real life." I am wondering if it is too late to start some winter squash. If there was anything I missed this last winter, it was having some on hand to make soup whenever I wanted.

Japanese beetles and the big, green June bugs are out, now. Half of the leaves on my cherry trees have been turned into lace, so yesterday, (thanks to my mom) I got them sprayed with neem oil. Those big green beetles aren't as destructive as the Japanese beetles, and it is always fun to watch the chickens try to chase them down. I just don't appreciate when they fly willy-nilly right into my face.

While bush-hogging last week, I noticed a turkey sitting on some eggs in the tall grass. In past years, I accidently mow to close to her nest, and within a few days, I go back to find she has been routed out by a predator and her eggs eaten. I am hoping I left enough cover for her this time. I think I'll wander down and see if she's still there before I tackle the next job on my never-ending list...