Happy Birthday, Big Brother!

Thanks for being such a great brother, I love you.

Growing in the garden

New England Sugar Pie Pumpkin

Purple Podded Pole Bean

Little Gem Lettuce


Cour Di Bue Cabbage, Cheddar Cauliflower, Purple Sprouting Broccoli

Bright Lights Swiss Chard

Other vegetables not pictured: Bloomsdale Long Standing Spinach, Oregon Sugar Pod Pea, Golden Delicious Winter Squash, Alaska Pea, Ragged Jack Kale.

Florida native flower seeds planted: Hairy Trilisia, Hoarhound, Gayfeather, Blazing Star (Liatris gracilis), Blazing Star (Liatris elegans), Giant Ironweed, Sandhill Blackeyed Susan, Coreopsis Leavenworthi.

Perfect

It was such a beautiful weekend. Blue skies with fluffy clouds, new annuals at the flower shop, and time well spent coloring in the tree house. It really makes me wish weekends were longer.

The Stealth Coop

This is just funny!

Acorn Necklaces

I love these acorn necklaces, they're such a great autumn craft! I found the tutorial over at Crafty Crow. I don't crochet, but after reading a couple how-tos, it didn't seem so hard. After an hour of muttered curses, and flinging it around a couple times, I had made a acorn necklace. Pretty and cool! I like that.

Cotton and Silky

These two crack me up, they're so goofy looking!

Juvenal's Duskywing

I saw this little one in the garden yesterday. Such a cutie!

Full Moon

Great photo you took last night, Hubby!!

Pickleworms

I've been finding these Pickleworms lately on my pumpkin plants. They can be destructive if not caught soon enough, (we found this out over the summer) so I've been trying to keep up with them. Luckily, I have the chickens to help me out. They never pass up a chance for a tasty little morsel.

Yellowtop in the garden

Hubby was able to get the second raised bed built for me over the weekend. It proved to be a little difficult trying to work around the Yellowtop that has gone bonkers, but he got it in, and staked the Yellowtop up so that it wasn't hanging over the bed. And now I'm just debating on what to grow in it. So many choices! But, I think I'm leaning towards doing parsnips and carrots. I've never grown parsnips before, so I'm definitely excited to give those a try.

Southern Black Racer

Soaking up the sun in the garden.

Birds at the dump

We were going to the Florida Aquarium on Sunday, and as we were passing the county land fill, we noticed all the birds hanging out around the retention ponds. Of course, we had to get off the interstate and come back around so that we could get some pictures. Wood Storks
Roseate Spoonbills
close up of Roseate Spoonbill
Wood Storks and Juvenile Bald Eagle

A beautiful morning for a walk

Bustin' out

"Don't mind us, we're just passing through."

Peanut Butter

Still funny looking at six weeks old.

Colors

So many choices!!

Sweet Potatoes

We have Sweet Potatoes!! Evidently, the bugs and nematodes did too!

Hubby Rocks!!

Hubby was busy, busy, busy this weekend; he built the first of three raised vegetable beds for me (thanks, honey!) and started work on the new chicken coop. It's humongous looking, but this way there will be enough room for all the chickens. We're gonna keep them separated with the big girls in the old coop and the chicks in the new one for a week or so.... that way they can get used to each other and hopefully that'll keep the pecking and fighting to a bare minimum. Laverne is really my main concern, her nickname around here is Little Ms. Meanie Pants, so I'm sure you get the idea.

Beautyberry and Goldenrod

My Beautyberry and Goldenrod plants are so pretty this time of year, reminding me that even though it's still so hot out, autumn is on it's way.

Thank you so much

I just wanted to thank all my family and friends who have contributed to MDA this year. Because of your help and others, MDA raised over 65 million dollars. This helps my family and others so much. Costs alone for my leg braces is over 2,000 dollars and then you get into therapies and medications, you can see how this adds up. So again, I thank you all so much.

Sick chicken and seed planting

A little stressful this week around the house. On Thursday our little chicky Vera come down with an upper respiratory cold. And has just been miserable, and of course that makes me miserable because I feel helpless. But I have to say the hour and a half that we were at the vet on Thursday my chicky girl was a SUPERSTAR! The vet techs were at least nice paparazzi, no pushing or shoving, just sweet words and lots of petting for Vera.



When we were outside last night she seemed alot better, so the seafood flavored antibiotic seems to be doing the job. (I don't quite know why they chose the seafood flavor, should have been earthworm, but I guess they don't get chickens as patients that often.)


In some garden news this week, I started doing seed trays for the autumn garden. This is the list so far:


1) Sugar Ann Snap Pea

2)Sunset Lettuce

3)Mignonette Bronze Lettuce

4)New England Sugar Pie (winter squash)

5)Collective Farm Woman (Asian melon)

6)Prescott Ford Blanc (french squash)

7)Golden Delicious (winter squash)

8) Fennel

(I was feeling optimistic about the melons, I'm sure they will all end up with mildew.)


I hope every one has a nice weekend and stay safe out there. :)

Fossil Treasure

With the Gulf waters all churned up, it makes for a perfect time to go hunt for fossils. (We're nerds like that.) I didn't find any, but hubby did. Not a bad take for an hour out.

We have an egg!!

Woohoo, my little Vera is laying eggs!

(As you can tell, I'm easily amused.)

Cotton plants

The vegetable garden is awaiting work right now, so I've just been snapping pics of my flowers in bloom around the yard. This beauty is the Cotton plant in some of it's different stages. A neat plant to have around, especially if you have little kids.