Simply Living in the Northwoods: July 2011

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Mr. French and His Pet Frog

What's this in my yard?

Approach with caution.

Just ignore it. Maybe it will go away

Are you talking to me?

My pet frog is much more interesting.

Actually, it is a toad

and I enjoy his company very much.

He is a wonderful dinner guest and an
excellent conversationalist.

Where Did July Go?

July seemed to fly by and the flies in July wouldn't let the dogs alone.

July was a busy month up in the Northwoods. I was busy, Pete was busy and even the dogs were busy.

Asher and Pete in
Tracking Class

Asher doing his
homework

Vegetables and berries started to come in. We enjoyed, peaches, cherries, blueberries and raspberries.

Raspberries from the
garden

Blueberries from the wild

Peas from the garden

The weather was unpredictable. Hot one day, rainy the next, sunny, then stormy.

pink sky at night

before the storm

sunset after a storm

There was a lot going on in Minocqua.

Minocqua Garden Walk

Woodruff Community Garden

Minocqua Wooden Boat Show

Pete checks out an engine

Beth next to a fully outfitted
Chris Craft

My favorite boat - The Rocket

My favorite car - Amphicar

Weimaraners were welcome

A little dog named Mocha enjoyed
the music

Bluesfest at the Black Bear
Bar & Grill

Even the ducks enjoyed the bluegrass

Maddie helped review
the pizza

A new restaurant opened up in Mercer. It's a chicken and rib place, but they also have pizza. We enjoyed a few pizza pies last Thursday, the dogs enjoyed the cardboard on Friday.

Resting up for August

Monday, July 11, 2011

The girls are almost eight weeks old now. Unfortunately, two of the original five didn't make it this far. One had a genetic defect resulting in a crossed beak and she couldn't eat. Another had a run-in with Asher and didn't make it.

We started with five,

and then there were three.

fenced chicken coop with gardens

We learned some lessons and reinforced the chicken compound with a finer wire around the base of the coop, chain-link fencing around the structure and gardens bordering the fencing.
Asher has also started a new training program.

In the doghouse.

The hens love their home. They especially like to hunt and peck in their yard. When a bug flies in they lap their wings and seen to levitate in an attempt to capture the prey.

Flora (front)
Henrietta (middle)
Pearl (back)

We celebrated their upgraded home and their approaching adulthood by naming them. May I present Pearl, Flora and Henrietta.

Henrietta (front)
Pearl (middle)
Flora (back)

These girls are tough and we're going to do our best to keep them healthy and safe.

Stay tuned for the Adventures of the Three Little Hens in the Northwoods.

Berry Berry Good

We were looking for strawberries in Bayfield last weekend, but we were too early. This weekend I drove down to Eagle River and found that I was almost too late.

Ludwig's this way.

Ludwig's was open on Saturday, but they only had small strawberries left to pick and they planned to close for the season after today.

Fellow Strawberry Pickers

Baskets of Bitty Berries

I know there are a million ways to enjoy fresh strawberries, but I just like them plain. These little berries were just delicious, but next year I'll get out there earlier in the season.