A speedy little update.

I know that I have been greatly neglecting my blogging duties as of late, it has just been such a busy time of year and there is so much to be done before that 'other' season arrives....you know, the one that brings the s.n.o.w.

I am going to attempt to bring you up-to-date in just one post since I will be leaving for the Jefferson Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival in the morning and will likely have new blog-fodder after that.

The few crops that I was able to salvage after this very wet, cool summer actually did fare pretty well. My apples and pears are in huge abundance, although they are not the most aesthetically pleasing, still they are wonderful for jams and canning....which I have been doing at a frenzied pace. My potatoes look fantastic. I was able to dig most of them up last weekend...I say 'most' because with all the aforementioned rain that we had this summer, I did have quite a few taters that rotted in the ground before I could get them harvested. I think we will have more than enough to store for the winter though.

This is what happens when you plant potatoes in clumpy, wet dirt...you get Frankentater.

Do I really need taters as big as Emma's head....probably not!

Changing gears.......we normally go to "Eldridge Days" every year. That is our town's little Fourth of July celebration...usually held after the fourth of July, oddly.....also, it's not really 'days' but a day, really......well, nonetheless. This year, because of all the rain, the celebration was postponed until the end of August. They always have a lovely fireworks display and since we live in a pretty small town, there is plenty of room to find a good spot to sit or throw a blanket on the ground to watch the show. More importantly, since there are fewer people that attend this show, it is much quicker to get out of the parking lot when it is all over.

OOoooohhhhhhhhhhhh.

Aaaaaahhhhhh.
OooooOOoohhhhh, that one looks like the Milky way!
....aaaaand we're done with that.

I was driving past a neighbor's house the other day, and noticed a sign saying: "free kittens, very cute, very friendly". Now, you all know by now that I, personally, do not need any more kitties, but I am always willing to help a critter find a good home, so I stopped to check it out. Turns out, they were very cute, and very friendly, so I had to find someone (that wasn't me) to take at least ONE kitty. My niece and her boyfriend seemed like the perfect targets.....uhh, I mean, lucky kitty recipients. We called them to come and look at the kitties, and, of course, they fell in love with one. Don't be alarmed by the picture, the cat is not dead, he merely likes to be carried this way....seriously. He did this when I picked him up and I handed him to Blake and he stayed in this position while we carried him to the car.....it was a little awkward as people driving by thought that we were carrying a dead cat and laughing hysterically.

It all made more sense when we met said kitty's mother...

Lastly, my 'Chickens Anonymous' rehab is not going as well as expected...it seems as though I have had a relapse. I blame my friends for this mostly. Cathy, Angie, Cassie and the rest of you...you know who you are.

I ended up finding a really good deal on some Easter Egger/Americauna chicks, and since I can't keep up with egg orders, I figured I NEEDED some. These little girls should start laying nice eggs by the time market starts again in the spring.

So, now you are more or less up-to-date. Good night!