Miles Monday: "Chicken" in a Tree

Miles LOVES his chicken.  It's his favorite toy, and I got it for $2 at Walgreens over a year ago.  I can't believe it has lasted this long. 

We tried calling the toy chicken different names, but it just wasn't catching on.  Miles gets so excited when he hears, "Go geet yer cheekeen!"  

So, the rubbery chicken is still "chicken," and the feathered chickens are now called "doodles."

During a high-energy game of fetch, the chicken ended up in the big cedar.  I was able to intervene and shake him out of the branches while standing on the deck.  Who knew he was such a high flier?

Thurgood Thursday: My Dirt Dog

I've always known that farm life would suite him well.

Up Close and Personal: The Kitchen Garden

 Amish Snap Pea

 Amish Snap Pea

 Amish Snap Pea

Bottom to top: Elephant Garlic, Georgian Fire Garlic

Brandywine Tomato

Pingtung Long Eggplant 

Detroit Dark Red Beet

True Gold Sweet Corn

Lettuce Mix

Lettuce Mix

Wisconsin Lakes Bell Pepper

Scarlet Nantes Carrot

Earliglow Strawberry

 Imperial Star Artichoke

Borage

Grandma Einick's Dill

Jewel Nasturtium

America Spinach

Sugar Baby Watermelon

Giant Double Flowered Zinnia

Amish Butter Squash

The garden and animals are all healthy and happy.  What more could I want?

Our sweet potato slips arrived last weekend, so I think I'll be putting those in today.  We ordered 200 Beauregard slips from Johnny's.  We planted them earlier in the spring last year, and a lot of them got damaged by frost.  I think it's going to stay warm from here on out, so these guys should be just fine.

Views from the Asparagus Forest

The asparagus that we put in last year is now taller than me!  We'll get our first harvest next year.  A few weeks ago we picked one pound for ourselves and a pound for Ben's 'rents.  It was delicious.  I'm so amped for next spring.

Long days weeding and mulching asparagus don't seem quite so long when I stop and look at the view.  The mountains are gorgeous winter, spring, summer, and fall.

The Big Picture: The Kitchen Garden

 Miles Giles, Lord of the Backyard

My pink weeding bench.  I can't believe I need a weeding bench - I feel so old!

Can you see Miles?

Some day, all of these babies will bloom.  From bottom to top: Nasturtium, Borage, Fernleaf Fiddleneck, Dill, Zinnia, Sunflower