Ooooooooooo – eeeeeeee! Each day, at this time of year, I tell myself THIS has to be the ultimate bug day. I’m certain tomorrow there will be less. And then …. yikes!
Even the goats love finding a shady barn with a fan – and a sheet blowing in the breeze. (Not sure how this works for email … you might need to click on the title to get the blog site with the video I uploaded to YouTube.)
With the cooler spring and lots of rain the mosquitoes are taking over for the black flies. Actually – that’s not right … the black flies are still here! More like they are ganging up WITH the flies. We decided to put up some bug screens in the chicken’s indoor run and their coop. I had noticed they were starting to crowd into the laying boxes to get away from the biters at night. Last night I was happy to see the screens seemed to have given them some relief and they were back on their old perches.
We also tackled their floor. It had started to sag. So we made a stall mat sandwich with pallets for support in between. It raised the floor enough that if we get a flood again next winter their level will stay dry. I can also pull it out to give it a good cleaning right down to the bottom. But that is NEXT spring’s story. š
Darby’s charges (aka MayMay and Dottie) continue to take up a lot of her time. This evening she was out with them while I did the chores. Rosie and Bella stayed rooted in the barn by the fan. But there was Darby, flapping her big ears to fight back the mozzies while keeping a close eye on where the goats wandered. When it was time for me to head back with the tractor to the back paddock the goats took off like rockets racing ahead of me and Darby was right in the thick of it with them. She was braying in delight by the time the got back to the barns. Love watching them together!
I was off in Carleton Place for a few days helping my sister get her bearings after shoulder surgery – OUCH! We decided after a few days that she would be better here at our place. While there I got a good look at the high water on the Mississippi River. The flooding further north is now reaching the Great Lakes area.
When I got home I realized the jennies had gone on a tree chomping spree. Seems those big oaks were not immune to their attentions… I got a big roll of new utility fencing for my birthday – what every 60 year old pines for! š Just what was needed. I think I’ll pick up one more – it will likely end up that every surviving tree in the woods will be one with a fencing guard.
You can tell what season this is by this picture above. Not because of the green in the trees … nope … You can tell it is bug season because the only critters following the tractor around are the chickens! And even they decided today to retreat! We need a good windy day. Or even better still a run of really hot dry days to burn off the black flies and push back the mozzies. Tomorrow is June. Maybe ‘summer’ will start soon.
Such an unusual spring. Can’t remember one as cold as this … We’re breaking all kinds of temperature records. And the flooding is breaking the ‘Hundred Year Flood’ that came through just two years ago. The trees and the wildflowers seem to be managing all the same. Above left is a Phoebe nest that got blown out of the tractor shed. A work of art!
On a positive note the Toronto Raptors are giving us all a great reason to be in front of our tv sets. This is the first time the NBA Finals have included a Canadian team. The Raptors took the first game last night in Toronto. Next game is Sunday. When I was away at Marg’s place we took in the game that secured the Eastern Conference Championship. We hooked my computer up to her big screen television to watch. Lots of excitement all around the country about this one. Go Raptors!
Sending out hugs from the Meadow Mice!
The Meadow View 