A divorce in the pen yard....

Zeus was banded today. And I did it all by myself..O.k. Well not all by myself. Farmer Friend (The Captains best friend's dad) Held his collar while I placed the band on the scrotum . I love going over there for visits. He has so much old time items laying about. The barn(the original from when his grandparents built the farm up) had to be torn down this year. Lots of changes are being made and things cleaned up. It's looking much better.
I love my conversations with him. he was the one who told me some old time bee keeper friends of his were saying to grow peppermint by the hive to help combat disease/mites. So I put peppermint by the hive. He and I spoke of homemade wines. Various cheese making subjects. Honey. And of course...my goats and little Farmette. It makes him smile when I speak of it.
I brought him some of our homemade Chevre' cheese made from Fernie's milk and he exclaimed how delicious it was. He really liked it! He had a look of being impressed and my chest puffed up with pride- I impressed the Farmer I so admire. He went inside to transfer the cheese into another container and brought raw local Honey in it when he came back. I was so happy!
Of course we spoke of Yogurt and if I had made some with Fernie's milk- not yet. But that is planned for later this week. He went back inside and brought me out the yogurt culture he had extra of. He said making it from other yogurt would eventually phase out the bacteria needed- or something like that. And while he was inside getting the culture, I spoke with his daughter inquiring if the plant I saw (growing wild all over the back yard) was Chamomile. She did not think so. She thought it was just a weed... Well Panda pulled a clump from between the pathway and handed it to me. I discovered it smelled like chamomile! That flowery apple scent just like the tea we drink each night. So I left very happy to have received such kindness and wonderful gifts. Chamomile( turns out to be Pineapple weed- Thank you so much Tansy!)-raw local honey- yogurt culture- and a banded buckling.
The garden is doing great. Everything is growing so well. The Cannelini's have really grown fast. The tomatoes not so much. The carrots have really shot up with their greenery. The Garlic's have a few scapes. The strawberries have given a handful to snack on by the children. The herbs are looking decent. The pond tadpoles seem to not live very long once they get their legs. While skimming the pond surface for mosquito larva (still waiting on the solar pump to arrive at the Harbor freight store) and got a few dead tads that had back legs. Lots of non legs squiggling around, but it seems once they get their back legs- time is not on their side...
And if you look close and spy the triangle hut with a matching paint job to the tool shed.....That would be the home to our resident garden chicken and her baby duckling.....After the 2 mothers (Bonnie our muscovy hen and Mrs. Frizzle our chicken hen) started wandering the pen with their new bundle of joy..I started fretting. I could not help but think the poor thing would be flat as a pancake from those goat hooves. Despite their seeming to respect it's size and sniff it/stay still. So to the garden they went with their brooder home.
I assume the 2 mothers decided to part ways and Bonnie quickly left her new abode in the garden, leaving Mr.s Frizzle and the lone duckling to fend for themselves... She darted down to her old pen as the sun went down in the sky. squawking at Clyde ( her male partner) for who knows what and demanded to have entry at the gate.
Mrs. Frizzle and her baby have been very happy in their place and stroll about under the magic tree when they are not inside their comfy A frame. Maybe if there had been a few more babies they would have split the kids?
Sweet dreams,
~Tammie