Still working in strawberries

The strawberry plants have out done them selves this year. I do think this is the first time I can say I am tired of messing with berries. We have about 8 gallon in the freezer, plus what we keep ready for strawberry shortcake, and we made 20 pints of strawberry preserves yesterday. Today the guys picked another 2 gallon of nice berries. But they told me they are not producing as many now, so I think maybe they have come to the end of their big crop. The raspberries are starting to bloom now, so we should have plenty of those as well. Even after the grape vines got nipped with frost they do have some lil tiny grape clusters on them now. So maybe a few grapes this fall. I have baby chicks that should be here next week and still don't have my laying hens moved to the other house yet. Oh my!! I think I am behind again. I am sure you have heard that from me before and seems I never get caught up in summer time. I just today finally got around to cleaning out the freezers and tossing stuff that was probably not good. I think some bags of peppers had been in there for a couple years and they don't keep good that long. So the chickens had a feast this evening. I think I just work when I feel able to and not hurt so bad. The left shoulder is still causing some problems but the doc said most likely it would from now on. Oh joy!

We have had rain most every night for the past couple weeks. Sometimes not much but still enough to keep the ground too wet to work in. We don't have all our garden out yet. My tomatoes in the greenhouse are huge and need to be in the ground so they can get some growth before they bloom. Its not really late for the garden but we are usually done planting by May 4th or so. I am sure it will all work out, its just me that is anxious to get stuff planted so I can watch it grow. I am a lot like my dad in that respect I think. I sure do love to watch the miracles unfold every day in summer as beautiful things grow and bloom with every little shower of rain. My flowers that I moved last year are blooming where they were dropped in a new place and the rose bushes are starting to bloom too. Such beauty this time of year. Although our yard is covered with lil tiny white blooms from the clover that is growing there cause we cant mow and it wet. The chickens spend their days chasing bugs all over in the tall clover. My lil chickens that the 3 hens raised have been weaned and are hanging out together like a clan. Once in a while they will lose somebody and they will holler and go running to find they buddies. The hens that raised the babies are laying again. So they play momma sometimes and laying hen sometimes. They have all 3 been great mommas.

I have a doc appointment tomorrow out of town with the rheumatologist to see what he thinks of me and if he needs to make changes to my meds. I think we will be discussing a better plan for pain management. I just hate the long ride to see him. The next day I will be house bound with my back and joints killing me. Oh well just a thing I have to do.

Not much else happening here, so till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.

Stella