Lesson #2,345

Never (never!) never never attempt to dust a chicken around the 15 pound rooster.

Update before worky!

This weekend was incredibly nice out (finally) but I am not sure if the warm was enough to melt away all of that snow that was at Swood just a few weeks ago. We are ready for it when it does though and eager to get up there and spend some great time getting back into the swing of things. In the mean time, down here at Swood south, we have gotten the ball rolling on a few projects.

One was as you remember a few weeks ago, we cut down on the number of chickens that we have. We went from 13 to 7 and that means that there are 6 in the freezer. We actually have NOT eaten any of them yet but it has been out of pure unadulterated lack of time and not that we are afraid to eat our own chickens. It is actually the opposite.

Another project we have going is our seed starting. Right now we have about 20 tomato plants (heirloom and hybrid), Cukes (white and regular), Green Peppers, broccoli and cauliflower all going under the lamp. The Broc and Cauli are due to go out into the garden somewhere around may 1st, and the rest will go out June 1st. Some of the other seeds we have ready to go are corn, squash and potato. I am looking forward to a fruitful summer and possibly we will grow enough to can this year!

The family is good, one of the kids will be 18 next weekend! Other than that life is the same.
I hope you are all well and I look forward to hearing about all of your early spring projects!

Princess Cupcake

I think every year I go through a baking phase. It must be the nesting winter stuff. Not sure. I do know that every day you put the TV on and there is another freaking show about cupcakes. This has really fueled my cupcake love. Seriously, cupcakes are like the perfect little food.

Andrew and I baked tonight once again its all about the cupcakes really and here is what we came up with:

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 extra-large eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3 cups grated carrots (less than 1 pound)
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

For the frosting:

nocoupons

• 3/4 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 pound confectioners' sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Beat the sugar, oil, and vanilla together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the eggs, 1 at a time. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add 1/2 of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Add the grated carrots, raisins, and walnuts to the remaining flour, mix well, and add to the batter. Mix until just combined.
Line muffin pans with paper liners. Scoop the batter into 22 muffin cups until each is 3/4 full. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and cook for a further 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a rack.
For the frosting, cream the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the sugar and beat until smooth.
When the cupcakes are cool, frost them generously and serve.

Crane's R Us?

How does one acquire a crane?

Let me back up.

Before we built the house on our lot, there was a hunters cabin already placed there. It’s a cute little 10 x 20 un-insulated cabin with a small wood stove up on cinder blocks. We literally spent a year of weekends in that cabin with our dog, and eventually 2 dogs. When it was a “kid weekend” they kids would pitch a tent down on the field. I love that little house yet when the big house was officially ROOF ON we eagerly moved all of our crap into it and never looked back. For a time, the children slept in the little house still while we were in the big house. This worked out fine until the spring came and tilted the little house on its axis in the form of EROSION. Then they moved to the big house on their weekends.

Having served its purpose for the time being, it has become spider and mouse ridden. It also is in the wrong spot. Harry and I would like to move it to a different location on the lot (really only about 40 feet away) and turn it into a future chicken/goat barn. I think we are actually considering doing it this summer in fact which makes me very excited to get back to the swood planning! We are stuck though… how does one move a little house?
Crane?
Train?
Do we move it like the ancient Egyptians?
Do we take it apart and move it 40 feet and rebuild it?

Stay tuned for the next installment of moving a small house…

Update from SWOOD!

Harry and I took a drive up to Swood today to check it out. We had not been up there since October and just wanted to check in and make sure all was well. We had to bring snowshoes because this was an exceptionally blustery winter including many feet of snow and the driveway has not been plowed at all. The street plow had pushed about 5 feet of snow at the base. We parked our car, strapped on the snowshoes and as we were about to head up, I noticed that there was foot prints through the snow bank and winding up the hill to the house!!! We followed that trail ALL the way to the side door of the house!! I thought someone was up there and got very upset until I approached the end of the trail to find this:

Which was located here in relationship to the house:

If you click on the picture you will see a MOOSE NEST!!! I was so excited! We have a MOOSE at our house!!!! how neat!
(dont mind the date on the photo, i can't figure out how to update it to 2011 lol)

Anyway, here is a picture of the house as it stands today with all the snow which as melted considerably. I am thinking there was at least 2 feet of snow still on the driveway and that is right in the sun.

(thats harry strapping on his snowshoes to join me on the trip down the hill.)

We were walking down the hill and I turned around to see Harry and I thought he looked so cute, I made him stop for a photograph. Luckily, I am always "manning" the camera!


I also took some video.



and when we got to the bottom.

Pointlest blog ramblings

It is so funny to me when I listen around my office to what is going on in people's lives. I hear things about Apple iPad's and Droid phones, which one do I get the Nook or the Kindle? There is a sale at Gap...
In my head, I think wow that would be so simple to live like that. I would love to care about the Apple iPad 2 or the new Nook that I got. Instead, all I can think about are gas prices and when my chicken order will arrive or if my started seeds are germinating.

I think Harry and I are totally on the same page, we are really gearing up for some Shmoopywood time this summer. I think the puppy will LOVE being up at the cabin because we all know that *I* do! We have some things to do up there to make the place perfect. You know, like walls and running water.

I try to get my kids to understand. To pay attention to the world around them. To care for other people and to be good hard workers. I feel like that is not happening lol. I often wonder if my kids care only about themselves? I have one child who will sit and watch the news, and I think he probably knows more about the world than I do at times. That is fantastic, but when it comes to helping out, when it comes to making sure that Mom and Steppy don't have to do all the work to provide for the family, well he just always seems to be missing. The other child is constantly grouchy. Anything you say to her she just snaps back at you and OMG dont tell her that because if you do... it could be a long time before she will talk to you again. It is just at their age, they should be more aware of their surroundings, the government, money... things are way worse in their time than it was in mine! I just can't seem to get them to do that, they care more about the iPad2 and trips to Boston...

What about you guys? What have you done to prepare your family for what is going on in the world?

Is it over yet? Seriously is it over?

Well when we last spoke we talked about the chickens. That deed has been done. I now have 5 beautiful chickens to roast in my freezer. We are thankful for that!

We also ordered new baby chicks in fun varieties! We got anything from Speckled Sussex to Auracauna! They will come to us in April hopefully when the yard has melted (we got another foot yesterday thank you very much) and the coop has had its spring cleaning. We have a brooder area inside the coop and therefore the little fluffers will only be inside the house for a week before getting shuffled out to the brooder area. This,w e have found, also makes the transition to full coop MUCH easier with the larger hens. (Also, I suspect our trouble makers are now in the freezer.)

Also, our incredibly sweet Roo, Mike the Jersey Giant has taken a turn over to the dark side where he now is in the KILL THE HUMANS camp. This is not acceptable. Hopefully he will get over himself or he may find himself ruling a different roost or joining the freezer camp. Can't have a 15 pound rooster coming at you. NOPE!


The family has been sick, with cold after cold. Hopefully we are on the way out of that now, Harry has caught my cold (sorry hun) and Noah has had to have surgery (noah the great dane puppy) but other than that we are ok!

Yesterday to combat the sick and to make people smile I found a quick recipe online for coffee cake which my family loves. Since I am now trying to make everything from scratch, I had to bake it myself! I found this recipe. I really dig it. I would say though the cake is a bit dry so don't overcook it (i suspect i may have).

Image by Cool Librarian via Flickr

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 6 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9 inch square pan.
2. In a large bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender to the size of small peas.
3. In a separate small bowl, beat the egg well, then stir in the milk and vanilla. Add the egg-milk mixture to the flour mixture all at once. Stir carefully until just blended.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Drizzle top with melted butter.
5. In a small bowl mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Sprinkle on top of cake. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Walk the Walk

I had been carefully writing this entry in my head all day (Sunday) while I went about my life and of course when I get the time to sit down and write it, I forget how I had written it.  The way I had written it was very graceful. oh well, I guess I will just jump right into it.

My family is big on self sufficiency (we talk the talk) and as part of that project we obtained our chickens.  As a refresher, last year we had a lot of trouble with them, we had a NH that cannibalized and we butchered her and consumed her. We did it all at home, just D and me and it was not as hard as we had thought but still not our favorite task.  My point of this entry though is that this year we are going to reduce our numbers again by ½. I know it sounds terrible because we named some of them and yes we loved them and cared for them for 2 years. I have already placed an order for 6 new chickens and I have already made the ‘call’ to a local processing plant.

I admit being slightly nervous about this and our flock will be significantly reduced until April when the new chicks come and they wont lay for 6 months after that, which will slow down the egg business here quite a bit.  We are doing it now because I only have a few to go and they have another “farm” processing a larger quantity at the same time. This saves us a bundle and well its just the right time.

I also admit being slightly sad about it but I have to remind myself that they will be feeding my family after 2 years of running around in my back yard, being carried around and getting to eat all the wonderful scraps from my garden as well as uneaten foods from the table. That they in fact have had 100 times better of a life than a chicken at a large processing plant, who for their short lives do not even get to see the sun, eat only bagged feed that has been carefully selected to maximize their growth. No, I shouldn’t feel badly at all. I should feel thankful. A life is a life though and so I am a struggling with this a little.

Thank you chickens for the last 2 years.

Its a video blog!

Update of sorts

Last night the kids drove home from their dad's house. It is kind of nice to have them driving themselves nowadays rather than the bi monthly trips 80 miles round trip. The dogs were going ape but the kids had not pulled into the driveway. Couldnt figure it out... then the son comes in... "uh mom..."

**Lets stop right there for a second. Anyone who has teenage boys knows that if your son tries to directly communicate with you, its not going to be good. So imagine my blood pressure raising quite a bit at that point.**

Apparently the daughter couldn't get up our driveway so she tried to go up the street, turn around and then race down the street (downhill) and take a 90 degree right hand turn on ice. Physics is not her strength. So now we have half a Chevy Malibu (dubbed the Chevy Malamute) in the driveway and a tweaked out light post.




You know its going to be a great week when it starts off with your daughter playing chicken with a lamp post. No worries, the daughter and the son are ok.

The lamp post however is in critical condition.

Luckily the whole thing happened in my driveway and not god forbid on the highway or with another car. 

Also, did I mention the temps? This was after sunrise already... can you believe that?



The peep, ladies, chickens, flock... no worries, they have a "sun lamp" and a heater for these few days only. 

She Tells The Story

I have been avoiding this for a long time. I haven't come here because I was afraid to say this.

I've missed you, my blog. I've missed updating and telling you my stories of daily life. Some funny.


This one is not.


I think you've established over the years you've been with me (if you've read back that far) that my life revolves mainly around my dogs. I mean its weird but its true. My husband and I share that. I think I have also posted at some point maybe on the other blog about Django and his dilated cardiomyopathy. I can't really go into this all at great length but I do want to share so I can get this out of the way and go back to posting.


Django became very ill. He had symptoms of DCM but when we took him for his echo the cardiologist with whom we trusted our dog's life, told us there was not any change and he was fine. Over the course of the next few weeks he got worse and we got a second opinion. The second opinion basically told us we were throwing a hail mary pass and gave us HANDFULS of medication. He quite frankly couldn't understand how he was still alive. I can't continue to talk about this much longer so I will say it.

Django lived a comfortable, happy and peppy final 2 weeks and then we lost him, in his sleep, 45 minutes after I had seen him happy and wagging his tail.


I am (needless to say) devastated as is my family. Django was an amazing dog. He made everyone happy, most of all me. He was my best friend, my "heart dog" and my confidant. I have been struggling since Thanksgiving with this loss. I am not sure when or if I will ever feel better. I know that some of you are probably thinking that this is weird or whatever but to those who think that way... you never met him. He truly was amazing.


He helped me with great dane rescue. He helped people. He was wonderful. I have to stop now, can't talk about it. Next post i wont mention this... This was taken a few weeks before he got sick. I love it because I was so happy. Django is in the middle.

May 16, 2004 - November 27-2010

You made me laugh every day that we were together.

We love you. You took my heart with you.

Back up generator - Dave

So, A couple weeks ago I posted something to the survival group about a new less expensive option for hooking up your house to a generator. Although you can still use dedicated transfer switches and circuits, they are not necessary.
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Here is the finished product. The top right breaker is now a special dual pole 30 amp which is wired to the outside of the house (next picture). The bracket which fits on the panel is a sort of lock-out which prevents the 200 amp mains from being on, while the generator is feeding the panel. Same principle as the transfer switch only cheaper. Since this backfeeds the panel, every circuit in the house could be used (limited of course by the power you have in the generator).

Outside hookup.

Although this increased the cost, we went with 75 ft of 6 GA wire... This allows us to move the generator well away from the house to an outbuilding and the 6 GA is capable of handling a larger generator up to 50 amps. The spare box, and breaker shown are for when the larger generator is installed, right now we have a smaller 30 amp 7500 watt gen.
Its such a simple solution I'm ./pun SHOCKED! that it wasn't created sooner. Anyone wishing to install even a TINY generator to their house can complete the task on the cheap.

So sorry!!

Fall is normally my favorite time of the year. I love the weather and the colors that we get in New England.  The weather is perfect for all of those out door activities like walks, hikes, bike riding. Its a great time to fish and have deck parties... It is so sad really. I have spent much of my free head space time these last weeks planning next year's garden!! Trying to assess what I can do differently and what I should repeat. Plan locations of next year's crops and plan which crops to skip. I have been silently wishing this was June and not September. I feel as though I am betraying my beloved fall!!

To cheer fall up, I got a new toy that will help me enjoy the weather!! All it needs is a basket on the front and a big flag on the back and it will be totally ME!!

So Fall, I am very sorry for betraying you as you approach. I still love your colors and pumpkins, I love your blowing leaves and crisp mornings. I love your holidays and I love your beef stew days. I just have had such a great run with Summer it has been hard to say goodbye.

I love Lucy!

I have to admit, I am pretty bummed that the gardening season is winding down. I learned a lot about our garden in the last two years. First and foremost I learned that our garden is very shaded, much more than we thought, and therefore it takes weeks longer for us to get fruit or to ripen than the average NH garden. We are dangerously close to being too late and yet our first beefsteak is ripening on the vine as I speak. That's right, I said FIRST beefsteak. The unripened fruit is plentiful but we just don't have the sunshine to back it up!
Summer Crookneck Squash - 150 Seeds

Image via Wikipedia

Yesterday I cleared out several beds. I pulled the old bean plants as well as the snap peas. I also ended up with a pretty darn good case of powdery mildew that got to my squash and zucchini as well as my pumpkin plant so I pulled them as well. Looking out over the garden and seeing these bare spots really brings home the season's end.  Now poor Harry has to put up with my winter blues and hair brained schemes that keep me (and my brain and eventually him) busy. Think of it a little like an older, more modern I love Lucy episode.

Shmoopywood is good, we have not been working on it. Life has just taken us away from preparing our home in the north. Instead, we have been focusing on preparing our southern home. This is not a negative thing, its a very good thing. We have taken several large steps in getting to where we need to be!! I am sure Dave will be happy to help me with the "milling your own wheat" post I have swirling in my head too! Which is one of the winter ideas. Until then... hasta la bye bye ;)

Blue Angels

 

The family, including our kids, hopped in our truck and headed about 45 minutes east of us to go to the Blue Angels air show.  I had never been to an air show before so I really didn’t know what to expect. I knew the weather would be really nice and I also know that Hubby LOVES the Blue Angels so we packed up our crap and headed out. I made sure I grabbed my camera. We got there around 11:30 and stayed at the actual show until right before the blue angels started, then we headed out to the parking lot with the idea that we would be able to beat some of the traffic. These are the pictures I got from the parking lot!

 

 

 

This picture they were turning and went right over our heads.

We were really lucky that we decided to handle things that way because the news said this morning that some people were sitting 100 feet from their parking space three hours later! I have to say that the show was lovely and the kids flying the planes were incredibly friendly and kind. I also have to say that the planning for this event was VERY poor. They didn’t let people bring coolers and ice (not sure why not but ok) and this prevented most people from bringing their own food. Then they only figured 70,000 people for the entire weekend. Yesterday alone was more than 70,000 people and by about 2pm they had completely run out of water. The food was 1hour wait in line! It was really bad.

 

 

I zoomed in on this here at home and you can see the pilots heads :)

 

Because we left a bit early we were fully able to enjoy the show (90%) and the whole ride home only took 45 minutes. It was incredible! what did you do this weekend?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is an idea of how many people were there.

When we left people were pulled over on the side of highway 95S because the Blue Angels were passing over the road.

me and the rug rats

The Ark -

And now, I present to you, my better half and his spy truck!
This post is for the boyz :) 
And Chris

The Ark, You could call this a number of things, the ultimate in recycling, weird, cool, whatever. We’ve named it the ark.


Most common question we get? What is it?

This is a 1973 Steyr-Puch Pinzgauer 710K…. Like that clears anything up. Ok, its an Austrian Military vehicle that was developed back in the 70’s, this one spent some time as a Swiss Radio truck (which makes it the 710K) version. Most notable for this version is the hard top, AC and the three across seating in the back with a table. The table was meant as a platform for Radio/command gear and the AC is to keep of that cool in the summer. The very back has a custom jump seat installed and the interior (although the proper layout for a Radio/command vehicle) is heavily customized as well as being dotted with Civilian creature comforts.

Its an absolute blast to drive and has become a daily driver for me around town. Although capable of 65mph, its more comfortable at 55 so its not really suited for long stretches of highway travel.



You can see by this view… the rather interesting layout of the Dash. Bottom left behind the driver seat is the gas heater (not functional currently due to a missing part) but its meant to run directly off the unleaded fuel tank. No Power steering, vacuum assisted drum brakes, 5 speed with two speed transfer case, the three levers on the center console are hydraulic’s to control the use of 4x4, locking the rear and locking the front axels. To the right of that we have a glove compartment (not exciting) window fluid washer and the passenger seat. Moving up top we’ve got a newly installed radio with MP3 and a CB. The observation/gunners hatch is FULLY functional.


While still in the front of the vehicle, you can see the power plant (with doghouse and front seats removed for maintenance. What you see is a Steyr Engine, Inline 4 cylinder, Air Cooled, Unleaded Gas. 89 Horse power. Yep, even though this was designed in the 70’s they installed gas engine, the diesels didn’t come out until later. Because of the military design and engineering, you’ll notice that everything is accessible very easily so that things can be repaired in the field.



Moving out back, we see the table which was designed for radio gear/maps or whatever the 3 passengers in the back wanted. I’ve installed OEM weapons mounts and have begun the process of installing VHF, CB, Scanning, HDTV, Weather Alert, and Shortwave receive gear.  Everything is powered by a 420 amp hour battery bank made up of deep cycles. Very hush hush, spy stuff 






Anyway… This is our latest addition and should serve us well during any emergency or off-road travels. Should probably also mention the other unique feature of this marvel of engineering…. Portal Axels and some massive interco swampers… In theory this should keep us from getting stuck provided we don’t go over the capabilities of the truck. Other common questions:

Is that A Volkswagen: NO!
Where can I get one: Ebay or Craigslist
How Much: Depends on condition, Average 11K but can be as high as 40K depending on modifications
How do you fix it: Just like any other truck
Is that 4 wheel drive: Yes, And then some!
How about parts: well they are still made and almost identical so there are plenty of parts available
Does it float: Only for a second
Is it top heavy: No actually is got a VERY low center of gravity and can do 45 degrees on a side slope yikes.
Why did you get it: Zombies

Check them out on youtube… they can do some pretty amazing things, just search for pinzgauer. This is one of my favorites….

What, its what's for dinner!

Last night we went shopping online for a grain mill and for grain. This is something the husband has wanted to do for a long time and much research was completed to get us to this spot. We got the Country Living one (pictured left) and 45lbs of wheat to start. I guess this is going to be another one of our interesting adventures! Part of what prompted us to do this was the seriously rising costs of wheat. 

I don't know if you are watching it or if you care to go there and that is totally cool but if you are concerned about economy and shortages, you should have a look at what is going on with wheat by just googling it. Maybe you will finish reading it and think that I have finally lost my coconuts or maybe it will stir something within you that makes you want to find out more information. Either way I am cool with it. I have not lost my mind (yet) but I am interested in the whole wheat milling process. I think it would be incredibly neat to mill wheat and then further process that into bread. Also, if you were with me last winter, you should know that bread has been one of my main focuses during the winter months because I would love to be able to create that perfect loaf!

What are you doing today to help make your family more self sustained? What have you done in the last week to help spare our environment? Do you have any long term plans for your family in these ways or do you think people who make these types of plans are cuckoo? lol
It wouldn't suck to hear from you!

p.s. Chris, the zombie spy truck post is coming!

The Fall is Coming!

Our garden is winding down, the beans and snap peas are spent, the squash is slowing. Yes, i still have some watermelon ripening as well as my peppers and potatoes. Sadly, I see evidence of the fall creeping up on us. The kids are headed back to school Wednesday, Tarynn to begin her Senior year in high school and Andrew to start his Freshman year. We are taking time to enjoy each other as we all know, our time together will change soon as they fly away from the nest. We are planning our next hatch which will be in the winter, and we are also planning next year’s garden. We have learned that our garden is a bit shadier than others so our garden is slightly behind and slower to ripen. Not sure what the ramifications of this are, I guess we run the risk of losing our tomatoes or harvest to weather. We like our wooded yard though so I am not sure we are willing to change that, but we can plant more creatively to make it work for us.

Yesterday I got to have a play date with my friend’s puppy Nycon. Nycon’s family was going to be away from home all day and since he is just a small puppy (7.5 months old and 100+ pounds) he needed someone to watch him. Originally his family was just wondering if I could come and take him for a walk or something but this morphed into a fun play date for Noah and then into Day of the danes. I will leave you with pictures of our youngest Dane and his best bud having a day together.

Enjoy your last days of warmth.

Noah and Nycon 3 months ago

Nycon and Noah today

playing puppies.

And Now for something completely different – Video Blog #1

I have been basically sitting on my hind end all day feeling sorry for myself that my vacation is over. I hate that I have to wait another 6 months or so until I get to do the things that I love to do… you know, sleeping in etc. SO in protest of Monday, I have done nothing all day long. Then I decided that I wanted to blog. I love blogging but sometimes I just have trouble with content.

I headed outside with my camera and hoped for inspiration. Then, suddenly, it came to me! A video blog! Well, I guess I thought that maybe trying something different around here would be kind of fun? I dont know how many people are really reading me anyway so I am not shy or embarrassed about having my voice heard. Its actually what I do for a living! lol  So I thought I would start off with a tour of the chicken area. In this tour you get to meet all the girls (and the rooster) plus you meet Frankenstein and Noah. Django could not be reached for comment (he is napping).

There are 10, but they are 10-20 seconds each. The first video, the one that showed the front of the chicken yard was corrupt so we start off with “this is the rest of the chicken yard” lol sorry.

The New pen

The old pen

Inside the coop

 

 

 

 

 

So that our backyard chicken habitat and 2 of 3 Great Danes. Feel free to post comments or whatever if you think that this post sucks or if you loved it :)

 

L

I made squash!

I feel like I have accomplished something when something “unusual” comes out of my garden. Nevermind the fact that everwhere I look it says that Yellow Squash is the easiest to grow. I am happy to have one come out of my garden successfully! I also had to hand pollinate my ONE lone female pumpkin flower. All the flowers all summer have been male. When the female budded, I just couldn't leave that to chance! Strange because the same thing is happening with my zucchini. All the flowers have been male.

Anyway, behold in all its glory… my squash!

 

(there is another one coming in to be picked in a few days too!)

In other news, we have been really busy going from amusment to amusement and seeing all the sites. Today we were in Faneuil hall and the New England Aquarium. It was nice!!!

When we got home, it was discovered that Frank pooped on the rug and then walked through it and got it on the couch, the wall, the rug and on the pillows (about 9 of them) so off I went to Target to get new pillows lol. You really do have to have a good sense of humor with Great Danes!