Lots of NEW stuff!

We are all of a sudden seeing some return for all our hard work!!  The berry patch is just getting prolific, and I picked several cups worth the other day, and a big bowlful yesterday!  Look how big they are!  They are the perfect sweetness to eat them just like this, but last night I cooked them down JUST enough to extract about 8 C. of juice, and am planning on making blackberry jelly in the next day or two!

GROAN.... this takes forever!

           

The Quack Pack has finally started laying eggs!  We are so excited!  These are the first two we got.  I was really surprised that they were BLACK!!  Kinda cool!  Kern and I enjoyed them as breakfast sandwiches that first morning! 

The gardens are also waking up!  The tomatoes are forming up and I've already gotten a handful of zucchini squash! The eggs are getting lighter with each laying.   

First squash harvest, and the next
 two days worth of eggs.
The big one was a double-yolker!

One of the squash beds!

Can't hardly wait for a fresh tomato.  I'm gonna make BLTs!

The mints are doing quite well, and it's time to do another marathon harvest and drying session!

Chocolate Mint (my favorite!)

Sweet Mint

Peppermint (My second favorite!)

Spearmint

The skies change constantly around here.  I thought this little arrangement to be especially lovely!

We continue to get rain, and the ducks are the only ones not complaining.  The Golden Girls have discovered the pond.  They are staying right at the edge for now, and they are having a blast!  Except for Gimpy.  Kern and I have had to extract her from the water at least a half a dozen times already.  She spent one night in the pond when we couldn't find her after dark, and we were astonished to find her still alive the next morning.  Each time we fish her out, she is completely submerged except for her head and only about 2 inches of her neck.  I thought ducks were supposed to float!  Not her, apparently.  She is trying to stay away from the edge a little more, but the pull of that water is strong, and she wants to be with her sisters! 

The are SO happy!

Yesterday we were able to visit the Dallas Zoo with a bunch of other home schooling families (which got us a great admission price).  Raine was working at his new job, so he wasn't able to join us, but Kern just carried his phone and worked on and off while we walked through.  We only stayed a couple of hours since it was hot and Toby was a bit grouchy.  It was long enough to make it worth the trip!  

Waiting to go in... I love my girls, Kae and Anika!

The macaws greeted us first thing!  Man, are they loud!

This beauty posed for my camera.  I think they are used to being adored!  

Long, eclectic post, I know.  I've had trouble getting photos to be where I want them to be on my computer so I can get them where I want them to GO!  Sigh.  I'll keep working on that.  

Blessing until we 'meet' again!

Dawna