Red Dirt Farm and Studio

 How did you celebrate Independence Day?

We had a nice day with family and good food.  Father Cottage surprised us making his first ever blueberry pie.  He still impresses me with his gusto for life and willingness to try new experiences.

Did I tell y’all that he traveled to Norway last month?  That’s the way to rock 85 years young.

 

 

Here at the farm, we have had illness and injury, humans and animals alike.  We have experienced beautiful new life and horrible ugly death.  This is the cycle of any farm big or small.

We have also enjoyed the shared harvest from our farm neighbors.

 

 

 

The deer have eaten all of my lilies this year, except this one I managed to cut before they nibbled.

 

 

 

 

This season of fresh fruit has yielded many cobblers and an ever-expanding waistline.

Our peaches are ready for picking.  I sampled this morning.  Oh so sweet.  We are expecting a lot of rain in the next couple of days, so I’m going to work on getting them picked this afternoon.

 

 

 

 

In Chicken Land

We needed to add more nesting boxes for the girls, but with a tight budget, I was stressing over what to do, then as luck would have it, a fellow backyard chicken keeper posted on social media, a used 12 box set-up.  I contacted her, made the deal and over the weekend Mr. Cottage and I scored the new – old boxes and made a new acquaintance too.

 

 

 

 

 

Duck land – our living room.

 

Lucky has pilfered one of the cat toys – a blue sequined stuffed mouse.  He waddles all around the living room taking his mouse with him.

I’m sure I’ve crossed the line of rational behavior however, it wasn’t the first time and probably won’t be the last.  I now have a kiddy swimming pool in my living room for the duck.  I hauled the pool in, put the garden hose through the cat door and filled that sucker up.  I brought in greenery from the pond and added another rock for Lucky to get in and out on.

 

 Then I waited.  And waited.  And waited some more.

 Lucky was scared of his new pond.

 He walked all the way around it, eyeing it suspiciously.

 

 

It took several days until he finally had the courage to try it out.

 

Now we can’t get him out of it!

I don’t know the first thing about raising ducks.  I’ve been reading any and everything I can.  I’ve been assuming that Lucky was a Mallard, now I’m pretty sure he is not.  I’m thinking he is actually a Wood Duck.  I still don’t know what sex he is – duh I call him he but maybe Lucky is a she.

  It matters not, what sex or breed, we are just happy that Lucky is growing and appears to be healthy.  The plan is to move Lucky out to the Koi pond at about week 8-9, we are at week 5 as of this post.  Lucky needs to be able to fly to protect himself and that is the age they are supposed to know how to fly.  In the next few weeks when flying lessons begin in my living room I can only imagine what that will be like…

 

 

Thank you for being here today.