Proud Goat

 

Goat creativity. Star put her goat noggin to use when she realized the best place to get the freshest hay, and best selection was from inside the hay trough.  

Pressing Apples

 

Apple pressing in a neighbor's shop left dried apple flesh shaped like a doughnut. The apple pieces were broken apart and carried off in 5 gallon buckets to become dessert for goats and pigs. We pressed about 10 gallons of cider, which was delicious right out of the apple, but most of this cider will be aged to hard cider, and we have high hopes for that!

 

Flying Lessons

 

It happened like this last year...but there were fewer geese. About the first week of June, two adult birds, walked out of the tall grass, separating the "wetlands" on one side of the property, followed by three gosligs, just old enough to get into the water. This year it is four adults and 9 goslings--no doubt, at least one has returned from last year, with family ir friends.

They have been here the summer, since June. Flying lessons began yesterday. The adults coax the adolescents to fly down the slight slope into the pond, at the same time calling and honking, much as they will when they leave in a few weeks, or pass by on their way north or south.

I like the idea of the geese on the pond, and they arrived shortly after Mr. Duck's demise and Mrs. Duck's return to the safety of a wading pool at a neighbor's home, so they filled the void of the duck shenanigans, but I've definitely cut back on swimming in the pond.

I wonder how many will return next year and what we might do to deter them? The former owner had a large alligator head floating in the middle of the pond, and we all thought it was his sense of humor. It probably was to keep  the geese at someone else's pond.

Strawberries

 

A summer tradition the past couple years is the June trek to LaVigne's Farm to pick the most delicious strawberries. It was a hot morning after rain off and on for the past few weeks, and the berries were just perfect. The real challenge is to be realistic about the time it takes to process them into the freezer, or to make jelly. As luck would have it, there are still frozen berries from last year that will go into smoothies before these are eaten.

With the exception of a pint, these were all cleaned and put on trays in the freezer. Perhaps we'll make jelly later in the summer.

Picking strawberries always takes me back to my grandfather's backyard truck garden on Bayshore Rd. in Cape May. As a child, Gram would let us pick berries and sit out at the side of the road to sell what we picked. We then saved the quarters we earned for skee-ball on the boardwalk, or amusement rides in Wildwood. It seems like yesterday, in the field, feeling the sun on my shoulders, picking the just the ripest berries--I'm a kid again dreaming about the beach and strawberry shortbread with homemade whip cream. 

I can't wait for the blueberries to ripen up!