I spy

Something that starts with an E.

First egg June 30 2008

Would you look at that.

First egg June 30 2008

My money would have been on the fattest one to start laying first, but Quiche beat her to it and gave us this perfect little egg this evening.

Because it was the first, of course we had to take a look at it.

First egg June 30 2008

Perfect yolk.

First egg June 30 2008

And thankfully, no aliens or other weirdness inside.

First egg June 30 2008

Unfortunately, the three of us here had all just finished eating a couple of bowls each of some hearty stew, and the thought of frying this up right now was a bit nauseating. We’re hoping to con….vince Aubrey to eat it when she gets here.

One not so fine day

Timing, I like to say, is everything.

Corn AM, June 12 2008

During my morning rounds, I’d mentioned to mom that I should put together some kind of bracing for the corn, to keep it upright as it started to bear. I’d not noticed any tiny ears forming as yet on that morning, but the time was approaching.

Corn AM June 12 2008

I put that task on my list, then headed off for the rest of my rounds and all the other assorted things that already populated that list.

I suppose I should have moved it up the list a little.

Corn blowdown June 12 2008

Yes, that is my lovely corn, blown down by a fairly severe storm that rolled through. I was of two minds about saving it: on one hand, we were about a month away from actual corn. On another – well, would it be too damaged to stand, or something that couldn’t be replanted, and how much of my time would it take to try to recover it instead of replanting it?

What fool tries to save blowdown corn? One who sees this when they’re looking over the damage.

Corn ears June 12 2008

Closer inspection done while I was crawling through the frames showed quite a number of tiny ears forming. The decision at that point became a simple one: figure out a way to save it, if at all possible.

Besides, there were others who needed their homes.

Frog in the corn June 13 2008

Springing to summer

Our spring, such as it is, yields early and quickly to summer. We are already seeing summertime temperatures and weather – like the afternoon storms that blow through each day. I am still convinced that the ranch is in some kind of Bermuda triangle-like zone where most of the normal Florida type weather passes by. Two days ago, a large, severe storm hit the area. In town, very heavy rains and hail the size of golfballs came down. Here, we got some rain and a spattering of tiny hail that melted as soon as it hit the pavers. Not that I am unhappy about that, mind you: I’d prefer that all the plants not be destroyed in a hailstorm.

So far this season, we have picked about ten quarts of blackberries.

Blackberries June 1 2008

That, as they say, is a mere drop in the bucket given the sheer number of blackberry vines growing wild on the property. We’re going to try to gather as much as we possibly can, though, before the brief season ends. We gathered the above before this storm rolled through.

Storm June 1 2008

Finally, hints of orange-gold.

Sungolds June 2 2008

The first sungolds are coming in.

Sungolds June 2 2008

The squash and zucchini continue unabated.

Squash June 2 2008