Digging

Every morning before it gets too hot I go sit in the yard to crochet a bit so Toby can play.  Since our yard is fenced, he is allowed to run free when we are home.  Still he is happiest if someone is outside with him.  We have a little routine where I work and he plays.

One day last week his play involved digging a hole.  I am guessing he was after a mole, but he gave up on that area.  Before he moved to another part of the yard I caught a great photo of him in action.

He was very serious about sniffing out whatever was hiding in the dirt.  Oftentimes stuff in the yard is more interesting than anything on television.

Turkeys

Wanda the mama turkey has four teenagers now.  They are no longer the tiny chicks from a few months ago.  They wander a bit on their own but are never too far away from her and the three males.

Thankfully these four little ones stay inside the fence.  We lost half of the incubator baby turkeys as they wandered farther and farther away.  They were seen by several people going into the branch (creek) on a neighboring property.  Unfortunately there are several fox dens there, and a mama fox most likely used them to feed her babies.  

Some animals stay in the fence area, and others do not.  Honestly it does not seem to matter if they have a bird mama or not.  Hopefully these four will continue to stay in the safe area and raise their own babies in a year or two.

Weekend Book Reviews

Drawn and Buttered by Shari Randall is the third book in the Lobster Shack Mystery series.  Tourist season is drawing to a close so things are slowing down at The Lazy Mermaid, a lobster shack.  Interest is renewed by the arrival of a giant lobster which is stolen overnight.  The lobster turns up unfortunately near a dead body.  Allie finds herself in the middle of another mystery while her Aunt Gully gets an offer that seems too good.  The mystery is good, and spunky Aunt Gully is easily my favorite character.  This book stands alone, but I recommend reading the entire series.

The eighth book in the Witch City Mystery series by Carol J Perry is Final Exam.  Lee is busy with her job at the news station in Salem, but she still has time to check in with Aunt Ibby's 45th high school reunion preparations.  When an old car containing a body is pulled out of the water, the two things become even more entangled.  The story flowed well even with the multiple story lines.  I like the Salem setting of this series.  I have read previous books in the series, but this one can be read and enjoyed on its own.

Chocolate a la Murder by Kirsten Weiss is the fourth book in the Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum Mystery series.  Maddie owns a paranormal museum even though she is not convinced any of the paranormal things are real.  She features a magic of chocolate exhibit to take advantage of the town's Wine and Chocolate Days.  One of the items is a haunted chocolate whisk.  She begins to rethink her beliefs when two people at a local chocolate shop are found murdered.  The paranormal theme is a background story rather than the entire focus of the book.  It is written well and without being gimmicky.  The mystery is strong offering several suspects.



disclosure:  I received these e-books through NetGalley but was not otherwise compensated for these reviews.  All opinions are my own!

Pets in the Garden

Wrapping up my animal garden posts is pets in the garden.  Many times the animals just like for someone to be out in them yard with them.  Toby has a nice wallow hole underneath my lounge chair in the garden.  He loves laying in the cool dirt in the shade.

Often times one of the cats will come hang out there too.  They often find a higher place since Toby assumes they always want to play.  Ezekiel found a pan I had set up for his bed.  Unused pots and containers must be out of Toby's reach otherwise he swipes them.

Chickens in the Garden

I decided to keep on with the animals in the garden theme this week. 

We have several mama bantam hens at the moment.  When the chicks are young, mama keeps them close to the chicken house.  As the get older they venture further away and into the garden.  The oak leaves I mentioned yesterday give them a nice place to scratch for bugs.  

Many of our chickens free range on our property.  I make sure to keep bowls of fresh water all around for the birds as well as Toby and the cats.  The chickens quickly learn where these are and will stop throughout the day for a drink.  I have one just outside the garden fence and one inside too.  With so many baby chicks around, the containers are either shallow or tipped to prevent drowning.

Garden Visitors

I guess this is turning out to be garden week since I have various garden photos on my phone.  In one corner of my garden I have been working to create a frog sanctuary. My thoughts are the more animals that are eating bugs the healthier my garden will be.  I am not a fan of spraying pesticides simply because we and most of the animals eat the garden produce.

This little fellow was hanging out near the frog sanctuary.  He was well camouflaged in the leaves.  I add oak leaves in between the garden beds to keep down the weeds.  I guess it makes a nice area for frogs too.

On Guard

I generally work in the garden every morning.  My work is a bit of garden work but mostly crocheting in my lounge chair in the shade.  Most of our chickens are tame and quite spoiled so they come in the garden with me.  Last week I noticed a rooster and his two hens.  They were busy scratching for bugs.  He was on guard and climbed slightly higher to keep an eye out for danger.

I always keep my eye out for good roosters.  They are the ones that keep watch while the girls are around.  They also let the girls eat first. We always throw out plenty of scratch feed and other treats so there is plenty for everyone.  It is nice to see a gentleman rooster in the yard.