Camera Trouble, Burglary, and Cancer

 Sydney has been having some appetite trouble.  She's had x-rays and bloodwork.  Then she had an ultrasound that showed an enlarged spleen, a section of intestine that's thickened and an enlarged lymph node.  Exploratory surgery this week.  Doesn't sound good for my best buddy.

 These two Cuddeback cameras have stopped writing to their sd cards.  I like the image quality from these regular flash cameras but they have become pretty unreliable.  Useless really.

 I stopped at a Field and Stream and saw a new one on sale so I brought it.  I set it up and took it to the field for the first time.  The thumb screw that closes the back door is stripped.  On a brand new camera.  The owners manual says don't take it back to the store - email us at this address.  I compose a nice email with photos and send it.  Rejected by postmaster at cuddeback.com.  Annoying.

 So I have it secured to the tree with an additional strap loop squeezing the camera to keep the back door closed.  Classy.

 This is a picture from the new camera as I'm out bush-hogging.

 This is the way that my luck has been going.

 I made it functional again.

It turns out that our house had been burglarized while we were at the farm this weekend.  The alarm scared them off but they broke a brand new sliding glass door and stole some jewelry.

I tried to do a little cultivating in the pumpkin patch but the weed stalks immediately fouled the machine.

 I did harvest a few squash.

 The old grape arbor is producing.

 The main field is a mess but has a few of the things that I planted in it.  I think that I see a sunflower out there.

 The sunflower field is a little stunted but starting to bloom anyway.

 The clover/chicory fields look great.

 I wish that all my plots were this good.

Tons of butterflies out.  I used to call this plant Indian Paintbrush but I guess that it is really Butterfly weed.

 Persimmons looking good.

The soybean field is spotty.  I spread some brassica seed (Wintergreens) that I hope will fill in.

 My plowed up field for the future prairie planting is growing right back.  I decided to start disking it.

 This is what it looked like before disking.  I measured the field and it came out a little over 3 acres.

 After the first disking.  More work needed.

The orchard field that I sprayed a week ago,

 I gave it a light disking this week.

 The surviving pumpkins are doing well.

There is definitely a struggle with the weeds.

Some areas aren't too bad.

 Some of the rows are really bad even when the area between is ok.

Captain Hook decided to pose in front of several cameras this week.

 He's pretty photogenic.

 The brow beast didn't show up this week.

But the hook did.

 There were others around too.

 Only a few fawn photos.

I start PT for my knee in the morning.  And then Sydney goes to the surgeon.  And then we need to get the broken door fixed.  And deal with the insurance company and the police.  Oh joy.