New Puppy for the 4th!

Joan and I picked up Daisy this week.  She's a golden doodle puppy and joins our other doodle, Violet, who just celebrated her 2nd birthday.

Daisy seemed to like the farm but she's a little unclear about who may be the boss.

I'm hoping that we get past this phase where she needs to go out every two or three hours during the night - it's wearing me out.

Our son Eric made it down for the weekend.  He's bach'ing it this week as his wife and boys headed to Florida for sea turtle camp.  So we got him for a few days and his friend Creigh came out on the 4th.  Then they're headed to KY for a tour of the bourbon distilleries.

He's travelling in his 5th wheel rig.  We now have a power outlet for him.

Taking advantage of the time to check out possible solar panel installation.

So, of course, we did some touring on the Ranger.

I just noticed that the clock/calendar is off on this camera

Eric has a relatively new Henry 44 mag rifle that has been terribly inaccurate. He hasn't had time to troubleshoot it.  We suspected that it had something to do with the mounting of the fixed 4 power scope.

We were right.  Once we stripped it down, confirmed groups with the open sights, and built it back up, it shot much better.

Meanwhile, Joan was on puppy duty.  When she wasn't on puppy duty, she did some mowing again.  Joan on the zero-turn

I think that she's going to be a good farm dog.

On the 4th, Creigh came out.  He discovered this femur bone along the driveway.  We're a little unsure whether it may be coyote predation of a fawn or the remnants of a buck that Eric butchered himself last fall.  It's definitely been chewed/dragged.

So the boys did some shooting.  They tried Eric's 44 mag, his 22, my 6.5 Creemoor, my 30-06 with the suppressor, and Eric's 308.

Eric and I are going to long range shooting school soon.

The boys also did some mowing.  That resulted in broken lift cylinders on the Kubota (again) and Creigh mowed his hat with the zero turn.  The small Ranger also died on us and we ripped a cable off the tank sprayer on an atv.  Typical outcome for a "boys with toys" weekend.  Van will be busy.

The wineberries are close but not quite ready.

Daisy did some modelling to celebrate the 4th.

Which pose is your favorite?

BBQ ribs for dinner followed by strawberries and angel food cake.

I spent more time in the pumpkin patch.  This shot is on arrival on Friday.

And this is on Monday after I tilled and weeded for a while.  It's been dry but rain is forecast for the next 4 days.

The does and fawns were all over the cameras.

And the turkeys are looking pretty good too.

Peekaboo!

The groundhog socializing with the turkeys.

And the usual cast of predators.

Could this doe still be pregnant?

Lots of bucks roaming around in velvet.

I hope that you enjoyed your Independence Day.

Sweating in the Pumpkin Patch

There hasn't been any rain in awhile.  I spent the whole weekend in the pumpkin patch weeding, watering, and planting the last few rows of gourds.

I got the tilling done between rows and I hand hoed a few rows for weeds between the plants.  And I have the blisters to show for it. But there's so much more to do.

I have sort of a natural trench beside each row and just enough slope for water to run the whole row length.  So I just stick a hose in the trench and let it run.  Hillbilly irrigation.

Some rain forecast for this evening.  The forecast has been bouncing all over from 0.1 inch to 0.7 inch.  I'm hoping for the latter for my newly planted seeds.  I have some gaps in my rows but where there are plants, they look pretty good.

This is one of the more recently planted rows - just barely us out of the ground.

The last two storms did in this pear tree.  One half had survived but the latest storm finished the job.  I cut it up and dragged it to the burn pit.  Not sure when I'll burn it.

Joan was a big help this weekend with the mowing.  She was out on the zero turn and on the tractor.  Here's a video of her in action.  Joan Mowing

We had a beautiful sunset on Saturday evening.

The wineberries still have a ways to go.  I don't think that they'll be ripe for the 4th of July.

Butterfly milkweed is starting to bloom everywhere.

Common milkweed also coming out - this is in the prairie plot.

The driveway stand field was planted in roundup-ready soybeans.  This was intentional because the weeds have been bad in that field.  It was a carpet of green when I sprayed it two weeks ago.  Now only the soybeans surviving and the deer barely give it a chance to grow before hammering it.

Barn field clover is great.

The main field powerplant appears to be all grass.  I really don't have much luck with summer annuals.

Same with the sunflower field.  Seems to be more grass than sunflowers.

Here's a swooping bird quiz.  This is number one.

Number two.

Number 3.

I'm pretty sure number two is a pileated woodpecker like this.  What are the others?

I think this is a hen with poults.  Only two?

The does and fawns are showing up frequently.

It's good to see twins - sign of healthy habitat.

A late bred doe?  She looks about due.

Some other chore activity.

Covid masks are handy for spraying too.  Probably not necessary but better safe...

And our friendly bobcat.  Wonder how many poults and fawns he's had.

Our resident gray fox.

Coyotes always looking for an easy meal too.

Wish they'd get this groundhog. I saw him in my pumpkin patch yesterday.

The turkeys are doing some late strutting.

And the bucks in velvet are coming along nicely.

Info on the Coon Mystery

 Dirk at the Pike County Extension Office got back to me with this as the likely cause. I was aware that this occurred among bears but I had never heard of it in raccoons. Not pleasant but nature at work. And maybe better than other causes that I was imagining (new disease, poisoning).

 Raccoon Fathers Kill Babies Article