Spring Has Sprung

The first chickie hatched today - exactly 21 days. Done the old fashioned way - a randy rooster, some hens, a broody biddy and time. The day temps are in the mid 80s to low 90s right now - perfect for baby chickens. And a warm mommy to tuck under when the temps drop at night. No brooder light bulbs for me this season.

I've been on hiatus as the Army has taken over my life, but, in spite of my mostly ignoring the garden and chickens, things are moving along.

I took some photos this morning, and hopefully more chickies will be born soon. Old Biddy started out with more than a dozen eggs, but over the course of the first week, she rejected about half of them and ended up keeping 7. Don't know why she rejected some, but they were "obviously" rejects as she took the time to push them to the furthest corner of her broody cage and did not attack me when I removed them. I tried to play that game with one that she wanted, and she hollered and hissed at me and rolled it back across the floor and back into her clutch. I'm sure she had her henny penney reasons.

Bearded Iris and the general state of the garden

It's such a delight to have my garden area all fenced in this year. Jack Rabbit depredations are non-existant and the dogs have not pulled out and/or rearranged my bearded irises! As a result, most of the irises had enough stable time in the same spot that they decided to actually put out buds. Of course, they were at one time nicely arranged to provide a rainbow, but now I have no idea what color is where.

Other things going on in the garden...

• Cutting back "ferney" weeds for mulch
  
• Falling further and further behind on weeding out tumbleweed seedlings
  
• Strawberries are blooming prolificlly
  
• Desert Mallow is waking up, although there are no flower buds yet
  
• Garlic is even taller now that we've had a few warm days in a row
  
• Peas in Veg. Beds 1 and 2 and around the tree are all doing well.
  
• Work has begun in ernest on the chicken run and chicken pen
  
• Placed my 2008 seed order with Territorial Seeds.
  

Strawberry Blossoms

I could wish for acres and acres of strawberries, but, alas, I know I could never care for that many strawberry plants - and the mice and birds would probably get most of them. So one raised bed for a few treats is all I have. But the flowers are pretty and hopefully we will get a small but sweet harvest sometime in June.