Fiacré's spade: A giant egg

Busy days getting the garden in. The first step, as I mention ever year, is putting in the plants you want. That is followed very soon by getting rid of the plants you don’t want. To be honest, I would rather weed than put down drip lines. It is so frustrating! Every year, I think I am laying out the rows in the same configuration, and every year the drip lines are in the wrong place. How can that happen???

In any case, progress was made today. All the drip lines are down, and I planted the cabbages, Brussels sprouts, beans and peas today. Still have to put the tomatoes and peppers in the ground and do some stuff in the high tunnel.

Three days ago. Terry brought in what he described as, “the biggest egg I ever seen.” It reminded me of a joke from an old British sit com: “The ooh-ahh bird is so named because it lays square eggs.” Terry said there was no blood on it, so there was hope that the hen that laid it would be okay.

A giant egg

I was pretty sure it had a double yolk. I had it for breakfast this morning, and I was right.

One egg, two yolks

Sadly, this morning Blackie was not looking so good. I had to lift her out of the coop. She was lying under an apple tree all morning. I chased her out and tried to feed her yogurt with feed mixed in. She wouldn’t eat from my hand, but when I gave up and put it on the ground, she grabbed one bite, but the rest of the girls got the rest. Then she retreated under the coop where she remains. She will probably die. That’s what birds do. We can’t be sure she’s the hen that laid the giant egg, but it seems a likely hypothesis.

In happier news, Sunday was Thanksgiving Observed. Usually I do that in February, but one day follows another, and suddenly it’s May. There were 8 of us all together, so I had to make two pies, or there would have been no leftovers. Pumpkin pie is traditional; I owed Jane a cherry pie since her birthday in October. I always pay my debts, but sometimes it takes awhile.

Cherry and pumpkin pies

I had a 12-pound turkey languishing in the freezer. It was beautiful. Truly, one turkey dinner a year is not enough.

The turkey, in all its golden glory

The chicks are growing as quickly as ever, and the meat chickens are twice the size of the pullet chicks already.

The chicks are getting feathers and growing quickly

The dandelions are as numerous as ever. It is fascinating to watch what eats dandelion seeds when sunflower seeds are not available. The chipping sparrows are fond of them. I was surprised to see this ground squirrel eating them like there was no tomorrow. It can have all it wants!

Ground squirrel eating dandelion seeds

The grosbeaks, on the other hand, prefer grape jelly as a substitute for the dandelion seeds.

Mr. and Mrs. Grosbeak (Mr Grosbeak is getting an embarrassing updraft)

I got a not-very-dramatic picture of a humming bird. Hopefully better ones are coming.

Hummingbird

The female orioles are visiting the jelly. I don’t know if that means that they don’t have eggs yet or not. This is the Baltimore oriole female.

Baltimore oriole female

Here is the orchard oriole female. She is smaller and yellower.

Orchard oriole female

The robins have fledged. Every year at least one clutch hatches from the nest under the deck, but this one is unique in that they keep hanging around. I saw one learning to fly over by the glass greenhouse.