Allergy pill time, here. Dizzy and sweated terribly while dancing today. Usually that means not breathing right, upset tummy, or seizures. No black outs, so not seizures. Allergies cause the tummy and breathing. Hope the drugs help
Good try I wish I had some berries for ya.
Isn't it fruit season now in Colorado? I seem to remember the western slope was full of orchards. Great peaches, plums, cherries, apricots. Yummy.
The deep freeze and spring killed a lot of stuff....including my apples I need to check the UPICK place in Penrose to see if they have anything for sale. Abi sent me a link to an organic berry farm, but they charged over $6/lb!!! For that much money, you better get your butt out in the field and pick them for me while I lounge in the shade drinking a tequila!!
I found my Pond magazine. If anyone wants a copy of that article, PM me. I will scan it sometime this afternoon. The office has AC (swamp cooler). If it is hot enough I might have to "work" all day today!
I still have some puffiness, but it appears to be improving. Drinking LOTS of water and peeing like a pregnant woman
Had some fun last night. We went to Blues Under the Bridge (www.bluesunderthebridge.com). We have gone the last 3 years and it is really an interesting venue. Trains actually go by behind the stage. Otis Taylor was the best act. I left with Max after he finished because he is only good for so long out in a mob. Hubby stayed later with friends but said after Otis, the other act sucked. We help sponsor the event (discounted posters) so get free tickets. If we can't stay the whole time, no biggie.
Still gardening and working on the beds. Abi gave me a load of compost and soil last time I visited, so I am building up areas that only have a thin layer of topsoil. I think I can still have time to get some greens going. I toss greens in everything. Their flavor is mild and the nutrition boost is so valuable.
Twister is doing MOSTLY well. She seems to do great during the day, but at night, has issues. Can't seem to control her neck anymore and gets all pissed off and peeps her head off. So while she is functional (eats, drinks, preens, etc...) the structural problems are permanent. And since she is now in the uber-rapid growth phase, she gets so tired at the end of the day and I think her neck is cramping. She doesn't mind me holding or petting her and is THE friendliest duck I ever had so I hope once she is full sized things will get a little easier for her.
As for the other ducks, the three ducklings I let Abby Cadabby keep thinking they were girls are ALL BOYS!!! So instead of a Penny, Bernadette, and Amy Farah Fowler, I have a Leonard, Sheldon and a Raj I put in an email to a processor in Simla since Lexi also had a bunch of boys in her clutch (Twister's and Parcheesi's siblings) asking for prices and details. They do chickens for $3 each. Now, 2 of Lexi's ducklings that I left with her are looking more like girls and I thought they were all boys It will be a few weeks before I know for sure. So the plan is to just grow out everyone I have here now, and then when everyone is full sized, take they boys on a trip out to the processor and have someone else do all the butchering. I have proven to myself I CAN do it, but I would rather pay someone else to. The birds I butchered earlier in the year look like they were processed with a weed whacker and my knives suck. Abi needs to teach my how to sharpen the few good ones I have.
Then, this fall, I will order a good new drake from Holdderead's or Sandhill. Both places sell adult birds at the end of the season. Some lucky drake is going to get a nice retirement with a bunch of girlfriends at Blue Feather Farm I need to get some more good genetics in my flock. One of the benefits of Welsh Harlequins is that you can sex them at hatching. Somehow my crew is losing that ability. It is most likely because of my girls from Metzer. Their birds are healthy, but they are by no means "standard" with their coloring. I am hoping a show quality stud-muffin from a better hatchery will get everything back on track for next year's ducklings.
I can understand paying someone else to process duck. That was a major pain. We ended up skinning ours as we just got so sick of plucking, and wanted to be DONE.