Welcome Gus!

Here is the new family member at Cackleberry Farm. Gus is a Holland Lop. He is friendly, but currently rather frightened at the change in his environment. After I set up his cage and put him in it, he immediately began eating hay, alfalfa pellets, and drinking from his water bottle. I think he will settle in and be just fine. Now Little Bun has a friend! I'll wait a few days before I introduce them.

It is cold here on the homestead, but bunny snuggles keep us warm! All the critters are doing well. We no longer have Randy the Rooster; he killed one hen and injured another, so he has gone to meet his maker. I hate that, but it was necessary.

We have a radiant space heater in the coop next to the waterer to keep the water thawed. The chickies are doing well and the cold does not seem to bother them. When I let them out to range, they happily peck and scratch, finding grass and the occasional mouse.

I am ready to work on seed selection for the spring garden. My Seed Savers catalog came and I am drooling over all the beautiful vegetables!

Heather's wedding

These are candid shots from Heather and B.J.'s wedding. They are an adorable couple. The bride is amazingly lovely and the ceremony was sweet. Heather and B.J. were married on October 10, 2009.



























The reception was at the American Legion in Sullivan. My mother-in-law made the beautiful cake.



First Dance!

Dancing

with Papaw.

Casey danced with

her sister for the

dollar dance!

The bride and

her attendants.

Beautiful

Heather.

With her

proud Daddy.

A smooch

from Daddy!

Heather with

her proud Papaw.

Her grandfather

gave her away.

Mr. and Mrs.

B.J. Everett

The groom and

groomsmen wait

patiently for the

ceremony.






Heather and B.J. honeymooned in Gatlinburg. Love and blessings for a happy life together!

Rededication of the George Rogers Clark Memorial

Shots from the rededication
ceremony for the George Rogers
Clark Memorial.
It was a nice ceremony,
although there was a chilly
breeze from the river.

The Sons of the American Revolution presented a flag and certificates for the flag of George Rogers Clark that was flown over Afghanistan.




The Junior Rangers led the Pledge of
Allegiance.















They were absolutely adorable.























Sons of the
American
Revolution.





















My husband, Chris, looking
professional in his capacity as
a tour guide. He is a VIP, or
national park volunteer.



















The statue of Francis Vigo on the Wabash River.









It was overcast and cool, but the memorial is magnificent, as always.

Today at Cackleberry Farm...

Here is my newest raised bed. I've got the straw in it and will be adding top soil, compost, vermiculite, and worm castings. This is for my winter garden.






This is Scout. She is my baby. Scout is such a docile, friendly chicken. She lets me hold and cuddle her and will make happy chicken noises when I scratch under her feathers. She is also the most curious chicken I have ever seen. She is always first out, loves to examine anything new, and usually is the first to snatch at any treat I toss in the run.

Randy, ready for his close-up. Chris just tolerates Randy. I think he is pretty and I even like to hear him crow. I thought it would irritate me, but it just adds to the farm atmosphere.

Roxie, one of our Barred Plymouth Rocks. Actually, all four Rocks are named Roxie because we can't tell them apart.

Roxie checking out today's lovely eggs. The new girls are still laying mostly small eggs, but they are so pretty. The Rocks lay the darkest brown eggs, they look like chocolate.

Seven eggs so far! I love how the girls share the nesting box.

The gang in the run this afternoon. They gather everytime we come out, hoping for treats. Spoiled chickens! Anyone who talks to me on the phone when I am out back can hear the chickies "talking" to me, begging for treats.

There is always so much to do. I have homework to finish, a dinner to attend, bunnies to care for. I love it!

Watermelon on a trellis!

I have this cute moon and stars watermelon happily hanging from a trellis in a raised garden bed. I am thrilled that this actually works. My tomatoes are still looking good and I have been making heirloom tomato salad using a variety of tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil and a splash of white balsalmic vinegar. A dash of salt and pepper and I am in tomato heaven!

Vincennes Farmer's Market

We have been enjoying the Farmer's Market this year. I have been pleasantly surprise to find a few heirloom varieties of veggies. The new pavilion is amazing, providing shelter yet remaining open. Definitely an asset to the community. Here are a few of the wonders we have found there:


Chocolate cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, low-acid yellow cherry tomatoes, cherry tomatoes.

Beautiful eggplant.

Summer squash, oriental melons, honeydew. Yum!

And our absolute favorite: Local honey, absolutely delicious, from Brad's Berry and Peach in Monroe City, Indiana. Obviously, we have been enjoying this treat as often as possible. I'll be heading to the market tomorrow morning to find more local produce.

New Spinning Wheel!

Hub and I took a trip to Bloomington today. We were really going to pick up some basmati rice at the Sahara Mart. We like to buy it in bulk, it is far tastier than plain white rice. Anyway, we went in a few stores in downtown Bloomington, including a lovely yarn shop. Hub talked to the owner and just happened to ask if they sold spinning wheels. Well, she said that they were getting ready to sell their old wheels and purchase new ones. She showed us her beautiful, well-cared for used wheels. The price? An amazing $150! Quite an excellent deal. It came with four bobbins. I have been practicing with the treadle tonight and will try it for real tomorrow.

Natural Gardener's Club

We had our meeting of the Vincennes Natural Gardener’s Club tonight at the Fortnightly Club. As usual, we had a carry-in dinner. As usual, I ate too much of the amazing food! Below is a sampling of the culinary delights we enjoyed.

Sustainable Living Fair

Now, why didn't I know about this last year? The second annual Sustainable Living Fair in Columbus, Indiana, will be on September 26, 2009. I can't wait to go and check it out! The website:

http://slf.helpmotherearth.com/

Expanding the chicken run and I've got new wheels!

My new wheels! It is a Schwinn Point Beach Cruiser! I am so excited and can't wait to take it out on the road.

In the foreground, the old run, which was bent PVC pipe covered in chicken wire. That's Hub in the background working on the deluxe new runs. Each side of the coop has its own run. This should help keep the chickies from pecking the snot out of each other.

As usual, Sophie is supervising the activitiy.

The girls are curious about the hole Chris cut for the vent. They tried, but are too big to get out that way!

Finally, a ripe tomato! This is one of my Mr. Stripey tomatoes, just about ready to eat!

It is stinking hot here today and very humid. I need to clean out the coop and put in new bedding, but I don't think I could stand to be "cooped" up in this heat. I'll try to get an early start tomorrow while it is cool.