Since the chick tragedy (almost a month ago!), I haven’t been able to focus on completing a meaningful blog post. Things have been crazy at the house, starting a second brood of chicks and trapping ALOT of chicken killers, and at my day job.
I just returned from the National Conference on Volunteering and Service in Chicago and finally felt the motivation to share a few things here. (*To check out a few pics from the trip scroll to the bottom of this post*)
Updates!
Garden: 
The weather has been killer- way too hot for this early in the summer. It has made the prospects of weeding the garden properly very unlikely. Unlike last year, we did mulch with straw, but somehow those pesky weeds have managed to survive thrive. I’m hoping cooler temperatures this weekend will allow for some serious extermination.
Chickens: We have rebuilt our stock of chicks. We are now raising white rested and lacy golden polish, dark brahmas, sussex,americanas, marans, and wyandottes. I think we have about 23 chicks between our two broods. (Both of which are fortified like a fortress to protect against predator attacks! We will not lose our chicks to racoons again.) Pictures of our growing flock will be forth coming.
Foods: The spring farmer’s markets are booming here. The produce is coming on and we’ve been enjoying a great selection of fresh fish from Lake Superior and a variety of locally raised meats. (ie. lamb, beef, and pork) It truly is the beginning of a season of bounty and with it comes delicious, fresh foods, and the need to preserve many of those selections for use during the winter. With just that thought in mind, we’ll send time this weekend preserving some of the last local strawberries of the season as jam.
Travel: I feel like I’ve been traveling everywhere! This is particularly stressful will all the animals at home and puts an added burden on the folks to round up, feed, and protect our 2 and 4 legged friends. My most recent trip had me headed to Chicago. Below are some pictures (full album available on Flickr) from the conference I attended, some sights we (Chris came with me) saw, and some super tasty noms we experienced in the city. I’ll be sure to link to my Yelp reviews as I get those posted!
Thanks for tuning in!
