Sunday, May 6, 2012

Photos of outdoor life in our back yard

These grapevines are growing so fast right now you can almost
hear them. Early each morning I go out and wrap the vines and tendrils
around the trellis wire so that they don't overtake my fruit trees.
We set a lot of fruit this year...does that mean I finally pruned correctly?

I can't wait for these apricots to be ready. I LOVE apricots! The tree is filled with them.
We also have peaches, TONS of plums, nectarines, four cherry trees,
and an apple tree that has yet to produce a ripe apple. They all fall off for
some reason before they are ready.

This little bird set up a nest in our peach tree, only about 5 and a half
feet above the ground. There are three little eggs in the nest.
She even lets me touch her!

Abby watches over the nest from below the tree. She lays here almost all day.
She loves baby birds. She's been known to watch over ones on the ground, laying
next to them and watching them. On the ground you
can see some of the peaches I pruned from my peach tree. Each year
I have to prune 3/4 of the crop or my branches break off.
Last year, I pruned and pruned, then we had a windstorm that broke all the
branches anyway. We had maybe six ripe peaches last year.
Such a shame because these peaches are AMAZING!

The big ugly bird in the foreground and the one just like her behind the yellow one
are turkeys. I almost regret getting them...they stink WAY more than any chicken.
They're also dumb. And I don't mean just a little dumb. I mean REALLY dumb.
The yellow chick in between is a buff orpington. She's a sweetie! Almost out of the picture is a
Rhode Island Red (right). The little head you see sticking up in the back is a Silver
Laced Wyandotte. She's a lot younger.

Here's the coop I made. We can carry this anywhere in the yard.
The chicks loved their first day outside. It's 4x4x2. The lid comes off
so we can get inside to gather up the chickens when it's time to go to bed
at night.

A close up of the buff orpington. She's very cute!

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