::orchard start::

 Some how the kids talked their Dad into a tractor ride out to the new garden areas.

It wasn't far.

But they felt the goat needed to ride too.

The Mama goat was horrified.

To set the rows we mowed them very short first.

Then the boys tilled them. 

 Max rode on the tractor,  then he needed in his favorite place, the bucket.

Now for the current plan, since I ended up with one row less than I originally planned:

ROW 1: blueberry's with peat moss to each hole and weed mat above.  Mowed grass cover.

ROW 2: as many blueberry's as possible this year.  Fill the rest with corn.

ROW 3: Spring plants (already have done lettuce, some spinach, carrots, need to get in the rest of the spinach and parsley) - future black berry row

ROW 4: future raspberry row, plant some and do bracing.  Fill the rest with Cilantro and other summer plants

::cow::

This is a picture from the day we went to pick up our cow.

We raised him and fed him and did not name him.

And he is now...

And I don't want to do it again.  

Raising animals for food it not for me. 

From now on we will raise a cow at my brother in laws and just get our cut of that cow.

I don't want any more food animals at my house.

I am still glad we did it. 

We know he was raised and slaughtered humanely.

But still... 

I don't want to know my food that closely.  

::hangman::

Lily is obsessed with hangman.  

Any time we are together she wants to play it.  

Adorable.

::new goat area::

My Josh built me a new goat pasture.

He wasn't even that unhappy about it.

As a matter of fact, I think if you got one too many margarita's in him, he'd tell you he is starting to see the humor in my little friends.

This dramatically increases the amount of space that we have.  Which is good because we went from 4 to 10 goats in the blink of an eye this year.


Now we have two pens.

Pen 1 is our original pen.  I 6ft by 12 foot former dog kennel with a small door to an outside run that measures 16 by 36.  This has seemed to been just right for 2-4 goats but any more gets too crowded.

Pen two has a 12 ft by 12 ft stall in the barn with a small door to the outside area. (actually opening to the outdoor pen is in progress) That outside area run behind both barns and out into a side yard that I can see from the kitchen window.  That area of the outside pasture space is at least seven times the old pen. 


I want to make a little play ground for the goaties.

Like these...

Link

image credit

::josh is handy::

This is what my driveway looks like. 

Flooded.

 The water spicket was leaking under ground.

Now - how did Josh even know that.

I would just think... well nothing.  

I would let it flood all spring and just be confused.  

Then I would get charged one million dollars to fix it.

 Instead, this guy dug a big giant hole and fixed it. 

 We helped.

We are so very not helpful, but he likes to pretend like he needs our help, just because he likes our attention. 

 See.

 Then Josh took the pump off our weed sprayer and used it to pump the water out of the hole.

Who can do that? 

Then he used a bucket to get out the rest.

Is was a super not clean job.

 Look at him?  Why doesn't he divorce me?

 

Problem solved. 

He got so dirty!!

But he looked very hot too. 

::children's museum::

I love taking these kids to the children's museum.  

 We always have such a good time.  

Love those little creatures.

::bad max::

I went out to hold the Donkey to get his feet trimmed.

10 minutes.

I can back in to this...

 

Latter that night I was on the elliptical for 35 minutes.

When I walked in to the kitchen something was blinking in the air vent.

I found this...

 That jump rope was blinking.  And all the other stuff was in their keeping it company.

Seriously - what do I do with this kid?