One Sunny Acre garden journal 2015

We saw our bluebird family in the house we built this weekend. So happy to have them back again.

Let's try that again.

This weekend we saw our bluebird family in the house we built for them. So happy to have them back again. We didn't spend the weekend building bluebird houses, but working near the orchard/field where a house is mounted.
 
Update on the birds... The chickadees didn't stay long, but then a bluebird family moved in. There are 3 little eggs in the nest. :weee My cat has been pestering them, trying to climb the post, but I am going to fix that with some sheet metal or plastic wrapped around the post. The birds have not been frightened off. They are still coming and going a lot, mom is not setting yet, so I guess they've not finished laying their clutch. We also have barn swallows back this year. Haven't seen many the past few years, used to have a couple dozen. They would swoop down over the garden in the evenings catching bugs. I hope they'll multiply too!

Got a little break in between rains and the garden dried out enough for me to plant a patch of corn. Planted McCormick's Blue Giant, a dent corn that grinds into blue flour. Also put out some more loose leaf lettuce and radishes tonight. So much more I need to get planted, but I've had a hard time getting it all done between rainfall and running around like a crazy person. The tomatoes and peppers are thriving in their 24 oz. pots with MiracleGro though. They'll be big and sturdy when I do get them all out. I've only planted 32 of the tomatoes so far.
 
Your daughter must be so happy to have family of bluebirds in her work of art. I think i read somewhere to grease the pole with cooking oil, to make harder to clime
 
I got the electric fence up around my two garden plots and the adjoining chicken area today. I bought another PoultryNet fence and made them a really big run on the other side of the garage where my fruit trees are. That will also protect the fruit trees from the deer while giving the chickens some shade.

I'm going to divide the area and put my new chickens in beside the old layer flock. It was a little bit of a mouse maze to connect all of these things, but I put gaps in with handle/gate-opener thingies that can be unhooked to let DH come through with his lawnmower. He is so patient with me and my garden and chicken obsession. ;)

I rigged up the post that the bluebird house is on to shock the tar out of my orange cat the next time he stretches his evil claws up there. Tested the fence in several places and it is running 7000V. That should fix him! There are 5 eggs in the nest now. They came back after the first cat attack, but I have not seen them around today, so I'm not sure. I'll wait another week to clean the box out if I have to and hope for another try. It wouldn't have mattered where I'd put them or what color the box was, my cats would have found them anyway. Stupid cats. Grrr. :somad
 
Just a couple of pictures from today...

Sent Ava off to camp early this morning. She left age 7 and will return an 8-year-old. Her b-day is Wednesday and although I hate to miss it, I handled her first trip to camp better than I thought. ;) I sent along with one of the chaperones a box of goodies decorated with colorful doodles and little messages, a few little things I thought she'd enjoy for her b-day. They are going to hide it and give it to her on Wednesday. We'll have her party when she gets back. Doesn't she look proud of herself, such a big girl now.

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Here's Savannah in the blueberries. They're just starting to come on. She'll not have to share them this week. LOL.

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And these are my wonderful neighbors I'm always talking about. He's 84 and she's 78. She asked me to take a picture of them up there laying the roof on his new outbuilding so that he couldn't claim he built it all by himself with no help (although all of the rest of it he has). It was like 90 degrees here today too! They've been divorced for about 30 years, but have lived next door to each other all of this time and still look out for each other. They are a real hoot and such good neighbors. I can only hope to be as active and capable in my 80's. They seriously can work circles around everybody.

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Oh, and we still have bluebirds. The cat ran them off for awhile, but they came back. He must have encountered the electric fence because I've not seen him near there again. They have 5 eggs in there now (I cleaned out the first nest when I thought they weren't coming back.) Just waiting and watching for her to set them. They come and go a lot during the day. I'd think 5 would be plenty enough mouths to feed!
 
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Your girls are sooooo big! I love how the little one has her flip flops on backwards. I hope to be like your neighbor also when I'm her age. I'm working on it. Yesterday I ran 3 miles non stop.

Mary
 
Ava looks so confident on her way to camp. That alone means you've done many things right. I have paid for my youngest grands to get to camp for the past 5 years. They have really enjoyed the experience even if it was a two-week day camp rather than an all week-er.

This year the older, Maverick, is going to be a CIT (Councilor-in-Training) at the same camp and is super excited about his first "job" even if it is volunteer.

While it is what we want for them -- to grow into good, capable adults -- it is hard on parents and grandparents to see them growing up, knowing that soon they will have interests that take time away from us. How is your spouse handling the send off to camp?
 
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Journey I don't know how it's possible for your girls to grow up so fast in just a blink...by my calculations Savannah should only be about 6 months old by now, at the most.

Kid#1 came down to celebrate Fathers Day and his birthday which fell on the previous Thursday. We were sitting around outside watching the hummers and chatting and he blurts out "I'm 29." Like it had just occurred to him. Yeah, and you think that makes you feel old! "I remember your birth buddy".

I love the shot of your neighbors, what an encouragement to see folks so capable at that age. I don't want to be on a roof at 58! (that's scary, I just had to count backwards from dh's age to remember how old I am!)

Ava will have such a great time, but no doubt will be a bit homesick for you all. That was a sweet idea to pack her some birthday gifts, I love it.
 
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