Ramblings...

I got a surprise earlier today when I went for my evening stroll through the gardens. It had cooled off from today's high of 94 to a "chilly" 85 and I was taking advantage of the cooler temps. :-) Imagine my shock when finding my Umpqua broccoli just skeletons of their former beautiful selves of just yesterday.

This was the culprit...

Cabbage Worms!!!  Ugh!!

This was just one of many!!!

They blend in perfectly and it was quite hard to find them at first!

I picked them off by hand.

The chickens enjoyed these wiggly green treats!!

The broccoli went from looking like this...

To looking like this...

I had noticed a few small holes but wow!! Hmmm. Very hungry caterpillars!!! :-(

My Indigo Rose tomatoes are ripening already!!  I'm impressed!!  Can't wait to pop one of these beauties into my mouth!!!  :-)

Our Squirtle is doing well. I still have yet to see him eat anything. We bought tiny little pellets for hatchlings and he will snap at them but he just kind of blows them away from himself. I would assume he is victorious with them at some point because he appears to be growing a tiny bit and is quite lively. He sure is a funny little thing.

This week we lost one of our beloved parakeets, Elizabeth (Will passed away three years ago--they were named when Pirates of the Caribbean was first out)  She is the little turquoise and white one (sorry the pic isn't properly focused--buy hey, those bars are pretty clear!)  The green, yellow and blue parakeet is "Handsome" whom we bought to replace Will.

The day before she died, the cage door somehow got opened and she escaped. We haven't let the birds out in a while because this place is so small with so many of us running in and out all the time--not very bird safe. But I really was intending to exercise them soon! Anywho, the kitty--Fluffy--happened to be inside (I was outside during the ordeal) and she caught the bird. The bird wasn't hurt because the kids swooped her up as soon as Fluffy caught her. I wondered if she would be alright since birds have very weak hearts and this wouldn't be the first parakeet we've had to die of "fright". But she appeared none the worse for her adventure. Until the next day. I was getting ready to make supper when I heard some squawking in the cage and looked in to find her lying on the cage floor.  Poor little thing.  We had her nearly 10 years (give or take).  She was a brute with the other birds--quite a bully.  But she was very pretty and had a sweet voice. 

Now, of course, the kiddos are asking about another parakeet.  And it just so happens that PetSmart is having a sale.  :-) 

Son #6 is the big animal lover right now.  When we found Squirtle he asked if we could keep him.  After I told him that we could he said very enthusiastically, "Yes!  We finally have a pet!!"  Then I asked him, "Well, what about the dogs, cat, birds and chickens?"  He was like, "Oh. Yeah.  I forgot about them."  Too funny!!  If it were up to me and the children, we would have a regular zoo!!  Thankfully we have DH (NOT and animal lover) to balance us out.  :-)


We have begun our Summer Session of homeschool now.  I am enjoying public school being out so that the kids can go outside during "school hours" now without worry.  Since we live along the highway I don't care for the children being out and about where they might be thought of as "truant".  It's a little different than being at our old homestead out in the middle of nowhere where we could come and go as we pleased.  But this is ok. 

We homeschool year round and take off as needed and during major holidays.  Usually we take off from Thanksgiving until after New Year's day!!  We work to get in 38 to 40 weeks of school and only do 4 days worth of work in a week.  We're pretty relaxed. 


Hope everyone is enjoying their Memorial Day weekend!!!  I'm hoping we survive the record high temperatures--at least the garden plants are loving the sun and warmth!!