Holiday Weekend

Here in America we’re heading into a long holiday weekend, Labor Day, that marks the end of summer. It’s always a weekend of transitions, and this is a big one for my family. One of my sons is leaving tomorrow to go back to college, and the other begins high school on Tuesday. It seems as if all of a sudden the garden switches to fall-mode, too. Pumpkins are ripening and there’s a hint of orange is in the trees (the goats are pleased about that and are snarfing up the first of the fallen maple leaves.)

But, for today at least, the temperature will be hot – in the 90s – and the frogs will be hanging out in the pond.

I’m working flat out on several projects (I hope to tell you about them soon!) but I’m going to take a break today and join the frogs. I’ll catch-up with you on Monday!

Comments:

  1. Beautiful photo as usual. Have a good holiday weekend. In England we had our bank holiday weekend last weekend, August bank holiday and the last one until Christmas. It is very cool here and feels like summers end, although summer never really got started this year. Oh well, there’s always next year! Enjoy your last few days with your boys before School and collage.

  2. Have a great weekend Terry. I’ve heard of chickens killing and eating mice, lizards and the like. Would they kill and eat a frog? Have a great weekend!

    • Yes indeed! Great chases occur when one hen finds a frog and everyone else wants it. They go after toads, too, but after a melee realize they’re not tasty.

  3. This is off topic, but I noticed that my chickens go to bed more than half an hour earliers than yours. That seems like a lot of time difference, but we are in Virginia, so perhaps that is one reason. Also, ours are still pullets. Yours are mature. The days are getting so much shorter! They used to roost at almost 9 p.m. Today, I expect 8:05. (Every evening I have to go lock the coop, adding predator-proof quick links etc.)

    • A lot depends on the coop design and orientation to the sun. The girls in the big barn go to bed a half-hour later than the ones in the little barn. It also depends on breed. My white leghorns always settle in well before the others.

  4. This year I am trying Cornish X meat birds. We have been having some high temps and the poor things have been refusing to come out in the mid-day inspite of a shady cool sand pit. Instead, they have been running out at dinner time. My kids and I have to chase them back inside so we can go to bed. We have to watch carefully for signs of coyotes, the layers, well they go to roost shortly before dusk. I guess it prooves that Cornish X hens are just…different.

  5. When Doug opened the coop this morning the girls practically flew out because they WANT OUT! Well, it took a few minutes to notice only 3 of them out and about. He panicked when he didn’t hear anyone ~bawking~ like when they lose each other. He went back to the coop to see the lone hen walking down the plank and run off to be with her sisters….he went to the back of the coop to find our first egg!!!!! :) still warm! what an exciting morning!
    It finally happened…..20 weeks and 1 day old….. Terry, do you remember your first egg?

    • My first hen was an older cochin. I can’t remember ever getting an egg from her. Then I got her a companion of a brown hen from a local egg farm. She laid, but I honestly can’t remember the first one. You’ll remember yours what with all of the anticipation!

  6. Is that one more reason to have pet goats- they take care of the fall leaves? :-)