Gardening etc

Been busy doing outside stuff. A lot of the black gold compost was moved the last couple of weeks, at least 10 wheelbarrows onto the lawn, along with a bag of lime, and a dozen or so in the garden beds and mulching roses and grapes and perennials.

Lettuce is planted, peas are coming up. Squash and beans were daringly planted yesterday. Trying broccoli from seed, and collards, and beets for greens. Planted some flower seeds at the end of the road and in the bucket for the mailbox (which got a load of black gold compost and a small ring of hand picked-rock around the base.)

Started a war against the blackberries that took over the big perennial bed and then I was sidetracked. (translated: scratched bloody and retreated in semi-defeat for the time being)

I picked up all the leftover bits of wood and put them in a neat stack. Now for the bags and bags of bottles for the redemption center!

I spent the week outsmarted by a chicken. A white leghorn hen became an escape artist. You can see, with all that planting going on, that could be very disastrous to have a wayward hen in one's tediously planted vegetable garden!

Well, she kept escaping. I kept sewing possible escape routes shut with baling twine. The outdoor chicken run has become almost festive-looking. Each time I fixed it, I would chase her back in. That sounds simple. First one has to lock all the other chickens out, and then chase a chicken in that has no intention of going in. Chickens can run fast.

Last night I clipped her wings. I thought that would slow her down. She acted like I was killing her, sulked in the house for ten minutes, and then escaped again. Finally the Firebird saw where she was getting out. I fixed it today and it took three of us ten minutes slowly slowly acting like well-trained border collies to get her in.

We will see what tomorrow brings.