Grow where you are planted....

One of my biggest heartaches after The Reluctant Farmer and I parted ways was that I sold my Urban Farm.  I not only lost the place that cultivated my heart, but in essence I lost my identity when I walked away from everything.  You see, my gardens weren't just a hobby.  They were a way of life.  They were who I was.  You don't sustain a family for 6-9 months of the year on the food you grow yourself and not put your entire heart and soul into it.  At some point it surpasses being just a hobby and becomes a piece of you.

Ever since The Nurse and I bought our new place, I have had visions of a new garden dancing through my head.  I measured, plotted, and planned like we were going into battle.  The only problem was, the area I had plotted in my head for a future garden was right smack dab in the center of my backyard, and after already loosing a portion of our yard for 8 months due to regrading and tiling our backyard,  I honestly just could not bear to loose anymore grass.

We have a narrow asphalt pad that runs next to our garage, so I thought about gardening in containers, but honestly it was almost an insult to where I had come from and what I was used to.

And then I had a vision......

Behind our garage was a 20ft X 20ft concrete basketball court.  We were going to tear it up eventually, but it was going to be a project in the way distant future.  The more I stared at that concrete square though, the more my vision came to fruition, and they next thing I knew, the first raised garden box was built, and then the second, and the third, and... and.... and...

I don't have nearly the space I had before, and I miss my chickens and meat rabbits, but it will come.  My goal is to work my garden this year, and possibly add some rabbits before winter.  I want to put food away, and say goodbye to the grocery store where I can.

This will be a year of learning though, because I have never planted on concrete, but grow where you are planted, right?!  Even if I don't eat anything from this garden, having dirt under my fingernails again has  returned me to a place I have missed terribly.  A place I thought I could forget, yet a place my heart demanded I return to.  God, am I grateful to cultivate again!

    

How does your garden grow?

Today was a day full of hard work, but I am happy to report we have the 2016 garden up and running!   We did a massive amount of weeding, and bed preparation, but it is done.  I am so pleased that the chickens were able to "prep" these beds all winter with their manure, because I am not kidding you the soil was so rich it was black!

The garden contains:
  
12 cucumber plants
25 tomato plants
2 different types of lettuce
6 honey dew vines
8 watermelon vines
2 eggplant plants
6 bell pepper plants
2 hot pepper plants
2 tomatillo polants
2 yellow squash plants
2 zucchini plants
1 spaghetti squash plant

My hope is for large harvests and a reduced grocery bill......

Confused folks and barking dogs

This morning after shuffling the dogs in and out after their breakfast, I had one dog that did not want to come inside. Because I know it's pointless to argue with a dog seeking the last few rays of sunshine before winter, I left him out on the deck and went about cleaning up the kitchen. About 10 minutes later I heard a dog frantically barking in the backyard.  I didn't recognize the bark as one of my own dogs, but it made no sense for there to be another dog in my backyard, and when I went to the door there was my Jack Russell barking crazily at a man standing in the rear part of my backyard.  I quickly opened the door, and said: "Can I help you?"

His reply:  "Yeah, how much does it cost to buy one of these garden plots for the year?"  

I must have looked confused because he then replied as he's pointing to my raised vegetable beds:  "In the spring, how can I get one of there garden plots?"  I sort of chuckled and said:  "Excuse me?"  He replied: " This is the community garden, right?!"  Quickly I replied: "No sir, it's my backyard!"

After we had a brief discussion on why it wouldn't be smart for him to come into my backyard before coming through the front door again, I directed him to the community garden one block over.  

As soon as my heart was no longer in my throat, I laughed and thought to myself, I guess you know you are doing urban farming correctly when folks think they are in the community garden!

147 reasons not to call...

Today a family member hostilely accused me of not returning her phone calls for the last several weeks, and she's right.  I have been off the radar for awhile.  This isn't a direct attack against anybody, and I'm not angry. I have just been very pre-occupied with my garden, horses, and my home life.

I allowed this person to hurt my feelings, and tonight as I was reflecting in the garden I realized this had nothing to do with me, any every thing to do with her.  I have been busy living my life and I have no regrets about being virtually impossible to get a hold of for the last 6 weeks.

I was deep in thought tying my tomato plants up, when The Reluctant Farmer took my picture.  As the click of the camera lens brought me back to the present, I jokingly said to The Reluctant Farmer:  "I have 147 reasons not to call.  They keep me busy all on their own...."

Potatoes in Bins

Keeping with the theme, "The garden is a living class room for our mind.", we try to add something new here to the farm every year.  This year we decided we would try to grow potatoes, but instead of growing them in the ground, we wanted to try them in raised beds.  The reason for this was simply space.  Since all of our growing is done in town, we a lot of times run low on space so most of the gardening we do here is above ground.

To start this project we used:

(25) 1" x 6" x 24" boards

(4) 2" x 2" x 30" pieces of wood

(120) 1 x 5/8 screws

cordless drill 

To start out we laid 2 pieces of the 2" x 2" x 30" pieces of wood on the ground and then attached 5 pieces of 1" x 6" x 24" to the the 2" x 2" pieces with 3 evenly placed screws.

We did that twice, and then attached 5 more boards to the third side.  After you finish this you should have what looks like a 3 sided box.  

On the 4th side we added only one board to the bottom.  

We filled this with 1-2" of peat moss/compost/manure and then added our potatoes.  Because the box is 2' x 2' we were able to place 16 potato pieces in the box.  (You can plant 4 potato plants per square foot...) and we covered them with 1 inch of our soil mixture.  

When the plants sprout out of the soil about 2-3" you completely cover them again, just enough so you can't see any green.  You do this over and over again until your potatoes get to the top of the box and then wait for the tops to turn brown.  At that point it is harvest time!  

Please keep in mind that I have not harvested this way yet.  We are up to our fourth board, and our potatoes are growing like crazy!  I think this is going to be amazing, but if you want to make sure you can wait for The Reluctant Farmer and I to harvest these in the fall.....

Grateful....

Earlier this year I purchased a very large seed order from a seed company in Sharon Spring's, New York.  I had never used their seeds before, but decided I would take a gamble and see how their products performed.  I was impressed.  Every seed I planted came up and I venture to say we had 600-800 seedlings.  For weeks we planted and planted.  Our gardens looked amazing!  And that is when the flood hit last week.... 

We ended up with 4 feet of water standing in our garden, 5 feet of water in our house, and not a seedling (or furnace/central air unit!) survived.  My first call was to my insurance company, hoping to get some help with all that was lost in our basement.  My second call was to Landreth Seed Company to get our garden back in some sort of working order.  (A big deal if you depend on your garden for half the food you eat in a year...)

The seed company representative assured me she would get my order in the mail that day, and I had been watching my back account like a hawk all week waiting for the funds to come out so I could see when my seeds were shipped.  No money was ever taken out.

Last night though my seeds were in our mailbox, The Reluctant Farmer immediately replanted, and still I noticed no money had been deducted from our bank account.  I called Landreth this morning to make sure they got their money, and was shocked when I was told:  "Those were a gift from us to you.  Happy planting, happy summer, and may you have enough rain to water your garden, but not destroy your life." 

Thank you Landreth Seed Company!  Not only do your seeds perform brilliantly, but your customer service does too.  You will forever have a customer in us here On the Urban Farm, and your goodness was humbling. 

Oh, Hail No!

It has been a rough week around the farm in terms of weather.  I have been coddling my tomato seedlings for 10 weeks, being ever so gentle with them, hardening them off, making sure they have enough light, etc...  and I have been impressed with just how beautiful this year's plants have turned out.  That is what led me to have a complete melt down on Sunday.  (And when I say meltdown, I mean 3 year-old style complete with crying and yelling!)

Sunday, The Reluctant Farmer and I got my mom's garden up and running for her.  We were in a hurry because we had stayed longer than we had meant to and were in a rush to get some of our own tomato plants in the ground too.  We noticed an obvious storm brewing in the distance, however we quickly pulled 45 tomato plants out of the greenhouses and started planting.  Not even 10 minutes after we got them in the ground, the storm that blew through started dropping golf ball sized hail all over my tender tomato seedlings.  It was traumatic for me and the plants.  I went back out to the garden and it looked like the after math of a tomato plant genocide.  There were little tomato plant pieces everywhere!  What came over me next was nothing to be proud of....

Every "f-word" that was not said during Lent was screamed as I threw my shovel like a discus athlete on a track field.  I stomped, I cried, and finally I realized I should just suck it up and move on.  I know by now there are plenty of things I can't control in life, and the weather is one of them.  Tonight we managed to get all of the tomato plants replanted and where a few of them look rough, with over 120 tomato plants I can loose a few and still be okay.  Sometimes I just have to remind myself, it's all about prospective....

Keep your feet to yourself!

For the last 4 weeks I have coddled and protected over 400 seedlings.  I lovingly cradled them as precious seeds, gently placed them in soil that was kept at a constant 75 degree temperature, provided them with water, and 192,000 lumens of light.  I transplanted the seedlings as their containers got too small, all while they were growing away, and finally the time came.  Last night, I transplanted 20 Mortgage Lifter tomatoes and 4 Purple Cherokee tomatoes into the ground.  I fretted about this decision, because now that they have left my care, I can no longer protect them from the outside world.  From things like birds, squirrels, Labrador Retrievers, or FEET.  That's right I said feet.....

After worrying about my little babies all night, and fretting over their safety, I roll into the community garden tonight and 2 of my Mortgage Lifter's had been flattened.  Please note they were not flattened in a "the wind whipped me back and forth" sort of way, but more like "a shoe flattened me" sort of way.  (This was also evident by the large foot print that was imprinted in the soil surrounding my plants...)  I was sad, but ran home real quick, grabbed 2 more tomato plants, replaced the assulted ones and was just getting ready to leave when a gentleman shows up and starts working in the garden next to me.  We exchange pleasantries, I offered him a few heirloom Cherokee Purple seedlings that I had left over, and WHAM!  

With his back to my garden, deep in thought with his hand scratching his chin, his big foot lands on my plants!  I kindly said:  "Excuse me, I think you just stepped on my tomato plants."  He looks down at his feet, which have now moved off my flattened seedlings and replies:  "No, I don't think I did.  They look sort of wilted to me.  Maybe you should water them more often."  This is the part of the story where I execute my ability to filter folks, even though I think my tongue was bleeding at this point....  

I said:  "Oh, they have been watered, kept warm, prayed over, and given everything necessary to live for the last 4 weeks.  Look at the other 22 plants, they are just fine!  I wonder what would cause the plants right in this particular spot of the garden to have been crushed twice?!"   

He looked at me, shrugged his shoulders and goes:  "I don't think you should expect 100% success in gardening anyway.  You always have those plants that just don't make it."

In my mind, all I could think was:  You're right sir, you always have those plants that don't make it, but mine stand a better chance without your shoes on top them!  The Reluctant Farmer will be erecting a fence tomorrow.  One to keep out rabbits, squirrels, and feet.....

What a weekend!

This weekend was whirlwind of activity for us here on the farm and we used every bit of the beautiful weather that was upon us.

Yesterday I taught my first gardening class at the community center and I am excited to say, it went off without a hitch.  The people in my class were kind, engaging, and it was great to share my knowledge of gardening with others.  They left with quite a few seeds to start their own garden, and a lot of aspiration.  It was a great time!  I can't wait until next spring to do it again.

We were able to transplant and move outdoors 23 broccoli plants and 75 tomato plants today, and the hot houses are getting full!  I am going to have to construct a 4th hot house sometime this soon so I can move out the next group of tomatoes sometime in the next week.  I am so happy with how much easier this year's growing season has gone.  I was better about staggering the seedlings and not starting too soon this year, which has been a lot less stressful for me and the plants.  (Still just as much work though, as I feel like I am taking care of 300 babies!)  We are looking good for the 2nd annual plant sale which should take place May 8th and 9th-ish.

I hope this blog post finds you all well, and in "spring mode".  It seems like we waited a long time for her to get here, and hopefully she is finally here to stay!

Offering Square Foot Gardening Class!

Want a garden this year, but don't have any clue where to start?

Is no yard space deterring you from the garden of your dreams?

Join me at Hayner Cultural Center on April 26th. for a class on Square Foot Gardening.

Details and cost below.  Only 7 spots still available!

Introduction to Square Foot Gardening
Emily Browning

Emily is an urban farmer in Tipp City, Ohio.  She has been producing food from her backyard for the last 2 years, feeding herself and her family for 8 out of 12 months of the year.  “I have a passion for teaching others how they too can produce their own food out of their backyard or deck. No space is too small!”

Have you always wanted to grow your own vegetables but obstacles stand in the way of your success?
Brown thumb? Hate weeding? No space? Bad soil quality? No clue where or how to begin?  No problem! 
Come learn how to grow your own vegetables no matter what the obstacle.  This class will start you on the path to having the successful garden of your dreams! Learn how to maintain your own raised bed garden. Included will be heirloom seeds/seedlings.
Student Age Limits: 15 years and up
Class Fee: $30
Week Day: Saturday 
Time:10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Session Days: 1
Date: 4/26/14

Register online at:  http://www.troyhayner.org/class-registration-form.html

People like me!

Tonight as I was leaving work, this little reminder popped up on my iPhone.  (I'm not sure how this happened, because usually my phone doesn't alert me for anything.  Perhaps my smart phone new I was sad yesterday...)  The phone was reminding me about an informational meeting for an event called EarthFest.  I was intrigued, and only 1.5 miles from the event, so I drove down to the meeting spot, nervously went in and WOW!

EarthFest is an event that was held last year in Dayton, Ohio and had nearly 1,000 visitors and over 30 free workshops on everything from bee keeping to lasagna gardening and a bunch of stuff in between.  It's an all day affair and sounds absolutely amazing.  I volunteered to teach a class on backyard meat animals, if they have workshop space still available, and I won't lie the thought of helping others learn to be more self sustaining excites me.

Perhaps the coolest part of the evening was meeting the 20 some people that were there with the same interests as me!  I met other urban farmers, beekeepers, pottery enthusiasts, and even other chicken keepers.  (And this was just the people I was able to talk with, there were more people that I didn't get to interact with, but I will next time!)  And one very kind woman, Mandy, invited me to meet with a group of urban farmers that are meeting this weekend.  I am pretty excited!  And to think, I thought I might be bored without dog rescue.....

Over and out...

The 2013 garden season is over for us here On the Urban Farm.  We spent the afternoon clearing out the raised beds and tiding up around the farm.  The biggest challenge was rounding up the bottle neck/birdhouse gourds.  We ended up with 53 gourds for $1.99!  What we will do with 53 birdhouse gourds?!  Lord knows...   

Our raised beds served us will this growing season.  We grew enough produce that I feel pretty secure going into winter with what we were able to preserve.  I don't have an exact count on what we ended up with, but I know this is the biggest bounty that I have ever had in my pantry.  (We have actually had to use the racks from our grow lights as storage shelves!)

As usual, the gardens were not just about nourishing the body by way of stomach.  My mind was nourished as well.  I often refer to my garden as a living breathing class room, and have taken away a few things for next year:

1)  Don't start your seeds in February no matter how much you suffer from lack of sun and dirt.  Where it is possible to keep the plants alive, it is A LOT of work, and pimping out your living room with grow stations and 72,000 lumens of lights makes the neighbors mildly suspicious....

2)  Don't over crowd carrots when you plant them.  We sowed rows of carrots, but should have planted the seeds thinner.  Instead we over crowded and didn't thin, so we ended up with a bunch of 1" long carrots.  Oops....

3)  The makers of the "plant safe" weed killers are liars....  My cucumber crop is proof of such things.

4)  Squash bugs are proof that Satan exhists here on earth.  We tried a million different home remedies and still ended up with no pumpkin crop and a minimal squash crop.  Just remember this squash bugs:  Next year, we are back.  I have all winter to research how to kill you.  You have been warned....

5)  Fungus on vine plants can be cured if you catch it in time.  Thankfully The Reluctant Farmer is diligent about inspecting the garden!

With winter approaching, I can say I am happy for the break this time of year gives.  I will research, and plan for 2014, hoping to improve what I am able to produce.  I would also like to add a bee hive or two to the ol' urban homestead, and possibly a turkey for the freezer.

What did you take away from your gardens this year?  Anything you wish you would have done different?  Any crops you wish you would have tried, or won't ever try again?  What were your successes and failures?

Reluctant Farmer's Basic Tomato Sauce Recipe

After what has possibly been the coldest summer I have ever witnessed, we have finally been inundated with tomatoes and The Reluctant Farmer has been hard at work perfecting the tomato sauce recipe that we are using for the 2013 garden season.  I think she has perfected the simple sauce recipe this year folks! This is such a nice, basic recipe that even the most novice canner will be successful at preserving their own homegrown deliciousness!

The Reluctant Farmer's Basic Tomato Sauce Recipe

Tomatoes, cored and peeled
Bottled lemon juice
Salt
Dried Herbs (Dried Basil, Oregano, Thyme, Rosemary, or whatever your family prefers...)

Quarter tomatoes and place them in a large stainless steel saucepan.  Bring to boil over high heat, while crushing the tomatoes and stirring constantly.  (We used a potato masher for this step...)  Continue to boil while you stir and crush the tomatoes for 10 minutes or until the volume is reduced by at least one-third.

Add 1 Tbsp bottled lemon juice, 1/2 tsp of salt, and 1 tsp of dried herbs to your already prepared pint jar and then ladle in hot sauce, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.  Wipe rim, center lid on jar and tighten to fingertip-tightness.  Process jars in water bath canner for 35 minutes.

This recipe makes a thin tomato sauce, that creates a killer tomato bruschetta or spaghetti sauce!  

Enjoy!

Gourd of Horror

Last year before planting our garden, we started seeds in our little greenhouse and nurtured them along the way, until a wind storm took out our greenhouse and the only 2 plants that survived were one tomato plant and a mystery vine type plant that we hoped to be a cucumber. It was not a cucumber, it was a bottle gourd.  I don't know if you have ever grown birdhouse gourds, but beware this plant took over it's little space at the community garden and started working on the neighbor's space as well! (Our neighboring gardener had to put up a fence to keep the gourd out.)  This was really a trial plant since we had never grown them before.

What do you mean your electric and cable are not working....

This is the only big gourd we could find so far

So this year I planted 10 plants on the hill next to our garden, and figured this would be plenty of space for them to grow and not bother anything or anyone. (Sorry community garden neighbor...) Well I have since decided that someone should write a horror story about this plant. They are EVERYWHERE, and the vines are much like strawberry vines in that they put down roots on their off shoots. They are climbing up trees, bushes, and into my watermelon. I even had to pull it off the electric pole!  I'm not sure it would have climbed all the way up to the wire, but I'm sure the neighbors would love us if the power went out because of my crazy gourds. I think we should have a bumper crop of birdhouses to paint next spring if the gourd doesn't attack us first!

It was nice knowing you tree.

Don't get to close it may climb you next.

Hope our neighbor didn't like this fence

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You are what you eat? I hope so...

I snapped this photo while I was harvesting out in the garden, and I just love it.  I am amazed everyday by what can be grown with just a little dirt, sun, water, and love.  Today I am in awe though over the beauty that I created with the help of Mother Nature.  

Never would I imagine that what were seeds just a mere 16 weeks ago, would be so beautiful today.  There is a feeling of giddiness that comes with producing your own food, and it gives me butterflies when I see just how much food I was able to grow at home.

If it's true that you are what you eat, I am happy and content to be as beautiful as this basket of produce is....  

Raspberry "Jam Session" with RECIPE

Saturday morning The Reluctant Farmer declared that we should go berry picking at a local farm that is known for growing the best berries in our area, and since we missed strawberry season, and were dangerously close to being out of jam, I eagerly agreed.  When we arrived at the farm we were told they had black raspberries in season, and out into the field we went. 

The field was very wet and muddy due to the massive amount of rain that we’ve received lately, but with the rain has come cooler temperatures, which is a Godsend for berry picking!  We both took our time and worked up and down the rows of brambles, loading up our baskets and brought home 4 quarts of berries.  I was amazed how beautiful these berries were, and I kept remarking about how perfect they looked, and they smelled even better than they looked! 

As we were leaving the farm my mom called and told us that her neighbor had a huge crop of red raspberries that were going to waste, and wanted to know if we would be interested in any of those.  Not one to turn down produce of any kind, let alone organic berries, off we went.  We were able to harvest an additional 4 quarts of red raspberries off of those bushes.

With 8 quarts of berries, there was little else we could do except have a jam session on Saturday night.  This year’s recipe is both simple, and guaranteed to put a smile on your face when served over vanilla ice cream.  The following recipe is a simple jam recipe that even the most novice canner can master.

Simple Raspberry Jam

5 ¼ c. of raspberries

7 c. of sugar

1 package of powdered fruit pectin (1.75 oz)

Mash berries in a stainless steel pot.  Stir in pectin and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Add sugar, and continue to stir, until mixture reaches a hard boil.  Then stir constantly for 1 minute, afterwards turning off heat and filling jars.  Leave ¼ inch head space.  Process jars in water bath canner for 10 minutes.  Makes 8 half-pints of jam.

When I posted on my Facebook page that we were going to make jam this weekend, I had several people that wanted to learn to make jam, but were afraid to try.  I promise you this is the easiest way to prepare food, and once you get the hang of it you will be amazed by just how much food you are able to preserve with such little effort.  If you are interested in canning, go to the library get yourself a book on canning and start reading.  (I recommend Ball’s Blue Book Guide to Preserving.)  Grab a friend too and you can have your own jam session.  You won’t be able to buy the memories that you create together in a store, and if you need any help or have any questions I’m just one “click” away!


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Train up a child!

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and even when he is old he will not depart from it."

Proverbs 22:6

I am a firm believer that we are so far removed from our food source, that if we do not start educating the current generation of young people about what they are eating and where it comes from, we are in trouble folks!

Several years ago, I remember talking to a group of ladies at work while we were eating our lunch.  We were talking about their children going for kindergarten examinations, and some of the questions that the educators asked along with their children's answers.  There was one answer that made my skin crawl.  The question was:  "Where do milk and eggs come from?"  Several of the children remarked: "Kroger's!"  This appalled me!  How as a nation, have we become so far removed from our food source that our children only know their food comes from the grocery store, and better yet, how can we fix it?  

Here on my homestead and on my blog, we fix it one child (or adult!) at a time.  If you are interested, and passionate, children will want to learn!  If you guide them, and show them how to create something merely out of dirt and seed, they will want to participate.  How could they not?!  Look at the pride on me neighbor girl's face below.  You can't buy that look in a grocery store, or get it from a box.  That is a look that only comes from the amazement of creating something yourself.  And you know what?  I still as an adult have the same look of pride, and that same sort of amazement every time I look around my garden and homestead.  It is an absolute miracle, that never gets old.  

I encourage you to help teach your children where their food comes from.  Teach them how to sustain themselves.

Grab a bag of potting mix and start some seeds together.  Raise a few chickens in your backyard and marvel over the eggs that they lay.  

Don't have a backyard to work in?  Scout out an elderly person who has a backyard that they can't enjoy any longer and plant a raised vegetable bed that you can all enjoy.

Replace your flowers with vegetables.  Tomatoes, strawberries, and potatoes are gorgeous and add beauty and functionality to your flower beds.  

Whether it be your own child, your nephew, or your neighbor kid, you will greatly impact the life of that child.  Remember when I said that the miracles never get old around here?  Well, being the person that teaches someone how to sustain themselves is one of the greatest miracles you will ever be part of, and that never gets old either!

Progress was made!

Two weeks ago I took off work for a week to get some much needed revamping done on the urban farm.  We made 13 new raised beds total, 11 for us and 2 for our neighbors, and we worked until our hands bled. (This is the time of the year that my day job is a break from the back breaking labor that goes on at home...) We have made some serious progress around here and continue to make it better and better this year.  I am so excited!

Friday we had 5 yards of mulch and 3 yards of dirt delivered, and we were itching to get some work done, however we had a birthday party and another party to attend Saturday.  Sunday brought us rain in the morning, however we decided to make full use of the cloudy day and work out in the garden when the rain quit for a bit.  (We did manage to get rained on after lunch, and I mean it was rain like no other!   I was soaked to my underwear just sprinting back to the house.)  It was all worth it though. 

The Reluctant Farmer built a retaining wall, we added and leveled bed #6, and then laid weed mat and mulched a section of the yard that was 12 x 16, planted a bunch of onions, and weeded the strawberry patch.  We worked until dark tonight, so I will get better pictures soon. 

No gardening is complete with out these two under my feet.  Blue is really starting to like being a farm dog, and we are working on his pray drive towards the chickens.  I think if he was younger, I would have to worry about him, but he is easily managed with a small correction since he is a senior...

 Herding dogs are so funny.  Chai and Blue wanted to stay out with me so bad, even though it was raining.  Chai totally looks like he is saying: "You know being this wet really proves how much I love you, right?!"  

Blue is surveying the rain from the front porch, just waiting to go back outdoors so he can survey the chickens.  I love this dog, he is so noble and wise!  And he is really starting to earn his keep around here as a chicken wrangler!


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