We have had some splendid weather these past few days, with pleasant highs in the 70's and lows in the 50's. The sun has been shining and the humidity is low - just perfect weather for getting some things accomplished around the house. I have taken a couple weeks off from the shop to get some outdoor chores accomplished.

The garden is now planted and many of the crops are beginnning to poke through the topsoil. We are still harvesting rhubarb and aspargus and soon we will have some radishes to eat. There is Basil to begin to harvest and dry, as well as chives.

The fruit trees are just loaded with fruit. Considering the past two years have seen killing frosts during the bloom, I have ceased being optomistic about the need of finding bushel baskets to store a robust crop, but now I am hopeful that we shall enjoy some fruit this fall.

The raspberries are blooming as well, and are, in fact, loaded with blossoms. Saturday morning I cut in a new door in the brooder house and allowed the flock to go out to pasture. Within two hours, a wild cat had managed to scale the 4' high fence and killed two birds. The flock had retreated to the indoors and were in the corners huddling together when I came up to check on them. I am not sure that there is any way to circumvent the wild critters that would enjoys a tasty chicken for lunch, so I believe that I will put up a poultry netting to serve as a "roof" to keep the unwanted varmints out. Eventually, we hope we will have some grown roosters and hens to serve as protectors. Having 100 chicks growing by themselves without any natural protectors means that they are rather defenseless on their own. They are growing quickly, as the picture can attest to.

Of course, summer now marks for more opportunity for fun and advntures for the kids. I have purchased a bow and a bb gun for the boys, although they can't use it apart from adult supervision. For some reason, good sense and reason are not easily attained by young creatures of the human male species. Each year they learn a little more....

One of our favorite stories from last year involved our youngest son, Jesse. He and the neighbor boy were outside hacking down tall grass when the neighbor boy pointed out some poison ivy. Jesse, skeptical of his friend's ability to identify possible danger, ginergly put forth a finger and touched a leaf. There was no lightning strike, no noise, no pain - nothing at all had happened.

Thus began an argument often heard among children (but occasionally among those discussing great theological truths): "Is not!" "Is too!" Jesse, his confidence in his botanical recongition skills bolstered by the unharmed finger, grabbed some leaves and rubbed them up and down his legs in a defiant show of evidence supporting his claim. Had he any prophetic skills to go along with his botanical skills, he may not have engaged in such a display of argumentation, for by morning he had one of the nastiest outbreaks of poison ivy on his legs that you have ever seen. I trust this year, he may be a bit more careful. But then again....