Grand opening

We had the grand opening of Chateau des Poulets on Sunday. Dad made signs and put a ribbon across the door to the coop. Pat and Nancy came out for the festivities.

The coop in readiness for the Grand Opening

Festive sign that Dad made

Dad, Mom, Me, Terry at the ribbon cutting ceremony. Too bad my SpongeBob socks don't
show up as well as my pasty white legs.

Back row (left to right): Pat, Nancy
Front row (left to right) Ellie, Sara

The chickens celebrated with watermelon rinds, a favorite treat. The humans celebrated with steaks and a bottle of Prosecco.

Hilda gives watermelon rinds to the girls

Sara pecks at the rind while Jennifer looks on.

I figured out how to use the timer on my new camera so we could all be in the shot!

The sky got dark during the grand opening, as it often does. We hoped for rain even if it would spoil the outdoor festivities. Dad, Hilda, and I each felt one drop, bringing the total precipitation for the day to three drops.  

What if it never rains again? It is hard to remember rain. I tromp in and out of the house without ever giving a thought to tracking in mud. The creek has dried up. Deer are eating the cucumbers. We assume it’s for the moisture because they have never bothered the cucumbers in past years. I can’t tell where the septic field is anymore because all of the grass is the same crispy light tan. Terry worked so hard to get the lawn started. Is the grass merely dormant or really most sincerely dead?

While Terry and I were gone last week, Mom and Dad figured out a way to haul water to my wildflowers in the wetland and near the creek by hooking my gardening wagon to the lawnmower. We are continuing to haul water this way even though I’m back. Because the creek is dry, and I can’t get water out of there anymore, and it is too far to walk with full watering cans. My dad likes the ride out. Hilda and I walk for the exercise.

Dad hauls water to the remote areas.

The girls are getting bigger all the time. They are slowly developing combs and wattles. Ingrid and Ina have pronounced black cheek feathers. We have wondered from early on if Bridget was truly an Aracana because she is pure white. She is getting the typically cheek feathers, so we’re sure. We now wonder if her eggs will be white or the typical pastel blue or green.

Ellie is getting her comb and wattle. She is also developing more pigment on her beak,
which is making it harder to tell her from Giada and Sara. Giada and Sara are
nearly indistinguishable even up close.

Ingrid with her black beard.

Bridget's white cheek feathers

Despite the deer damage, the cucumber harvest is gearing up. We had enough to take 13 pounds to the food pantry on Tuesday. The zucchini are starting too. I cooked bacon in the oven last night for BLTs (store bought tomatoes). As I looked at the baking pan full of bacon fat, I was inspired to try something new. After pouring off most of the fat, I threw in some baby zucchini and fresh garlic, stirred them around to coat, and popped the tray back in the oven at 400° for 30 minutes. It was really good. I had the leftovers for lunch today.

The peas are all done for the year. As I was cutting off the vines to make room for the cantaloupe, I found a moth that looks just like bird poop. We call this cryptic coloration in the business—protecting yourself from predators by looking like something one wouldn’t want to eat. I had hoped it would be sleepy enough for me to get a picture of it on my hand, but it flew off when I disturbed it. You can tell it’s a bug by looking for two hairy legs sticking out at the top. I think is is a pearly wood nymph moth. My guidebook says they are widely distributed, but I had never seen one before.

Pearly wood nymph moth