Garden News and Goat Jewels

Friends, I'm not going to lie to you.  I'm bragging. 

These two tomatoes are HUGE. 

The one on the left Keith estimated at 2 pounds easily. 

Yes, two could have benefited from another day on the vine, but my gosh... we are going to be buried in tomatoes. 

I have a great recipe for smoky tomato jam from 1840 Farm found here that I am going to try tomorrow.  I only want a small batch, so I think we can git'er'done. 

Yesterday, I bought some nice cucumbers from a lady at the Basehor Farmer's Market.  I had bought yellow squash and zucchini from a man at the feed store.  He told me that his garden is almost finished producing, except for tomatoes, because of lack of rain.  He said most of his plants are giving up, and his ground is hard as rock. 

He must not have ducks. 

Today, I made refrigerator pickles and then cut some up for cucumbers and onions, yummmm... which we just had with dinner. 

Keith is taking a day off tomorrow to volunteer at a golf tournament, and when he comes home... we go straight to a T Bones game.  I'll be eating marinated cukes and onions in between making the tomato jam. 

Here's the horse trough corn.  

Here's the sparser garden bed corn, but take a look!  Tassels!!!  

This was an experiment, really, so it will be interesting to see if I get any ears off it.  The empty bed you see next to this corn has pumpkins planted in it. 

The little guys have new jewels... collars on them now!  However, Kody's was just a little too long, so I have taken it off him to trim it.  Tuesday we are going to attempt hoof trimming on our own for the first time, and we wanted to be sure to have something to hang on to with them. 

Kaycee's needs trimming, too. 

The lens didn't quite open here, but I thought this was a cute picture of Kody, waiting for me in the henyard.  He loves to lay there and chew his cud while he's waiting. 

Mary, the elderly white chicken, is still with us, two weeks after I figured she was a goner.  Just proves... what the heck do we really know? 

Hopping and skipping around here, the melons are doing great. 

The ducks are great (pond pre-bailing out status). 

The little guys are getting lots of exercise. 

And Lilly Ann hopes you had a great weekend.  

She is going to visit Dr. Tom's office tomorrow morning for her semi-annual cleaning up.  She won't let us brush her, she snaps at us and means business when she does.  She lets the vet techs do it, though, so twice a year, in she goes to be cleaned up good.  I will drop her off in the morning, early, and go back in the afternoon.  

I hope everyone can say a prayer for Donna and Kevin of Our Forest Haven.  Donna is having surgery on Thursday in Atlanta, and they have traveled there for the pre-op tests, etc. .  This is an ordeal that we pray she will only have to go through this one last time.   Let's all think positive thoughts this week for Donna's surgery and her quick recovery!