joy in goat world

Driving past the goat pen this morning, I noticed Violet standing perfectly still, staring at something directly over her head.

It was a big clump of bittersweet. The stem had grown up a sapling, pulling it over and ultimately killing it. The goats had already eaten every leave they could reach, even by standing up on their hind legs, but now the remaining leaves were tantalizingly out of reach.

Sambucus became interested in her mum's project. Even though Violet is not very big on the concept of sharing, Bui remains perpetually optimistic. If Violet could manage to get the branch within reach, this might be a time when mum would actually move aside and let Bui have some of the treat.

Bui is very sweet.

Even at 5 months, she still has a lot of this in her nature:

And Violet is very determined.

There must be a way!

I happened to have my bow saw in the back of the car, so I got out and cut down the dead sapling, bringing the killer bittersweet along with it.

The scene two seconds later:

Sometimes it's just so easy to bring joy to others!

~~~

I hope you and yours are having a joyful Saturday.

~~~~~

wordless wednesday

predictions

Prediction #1:

There is a very high probability that these two gorgeous specimens will be the last of the homegrown, organic, pattypan squash for 2013.

~~~

Prediction #2:

There is an almost zero possibility that this will be the last of the coconut custard pies for 2013.

~~~~~

in the clear

We've been having a stretch of dreadfully humid, stale weather. Like breathing through a damp sponge. Sweating standing still. Interspersed with powerful thunderstorms. For days and days.

Yesterday we got a break! With clear skies and fresh air. Even a bit of sunshine. I hastened through morning chores so Piper and I could head for the woods and the pond.

We had a glorious time! Piper was in non-stop Action Mode: running, exploring, sniffing, rolling ,and splashing. I took lots of ungrey, unfoggy, unmurky pictures.

Shall I go this way first?

Or shall I go that way?

Perhaps a beverage while I consider my options....

I'm delighted to see so many bees at work, both at home and in the open areas within the woodlands. I tried to get some pictures of the bees on the goldenrod yesterday. Piper helped by coming to heel while I fiddled with the camera, so the bees wouldn't fly off as she raced by.

Okay, here we are. Holding perfectly still. Looking at a bee.

Remind me why we're doing this?

This is why, Piper!

At one point, a bee I was photographing suddenly lifted off from the flower several feet in front of us, and flew straight to another flower right next to me. And directly over Piper's head.

Good girl, Piper! You are a pro!

We seem to be back to grey skies, humidity and looming rain today, but so far the air is refreshingly cool - perfect temperature for the heavier seasonal tasks that have been sidelined for the past week and more. This is a weekend when a lot must be done. So glad we got out for a purely entertaining wander yesterday. Piper does me the great favor of making walks in the woods a Priority Item, when I might otherwise think there are more important things to be done.

I would be wrong.

~~~

Here's hoping your weekend will be highlighted with moments of pure joy.

~~~~~

oh, beans!

Yesterday I picked the first of the beans.

Yay!!!

These are the heirloom pole beans from Sow True Seed, kindly sent to me by Tipper at Blind Pig and the Acorn as part of a planting project. I wrote about it here.

Since this was an experiment, I did 3 small plantings, in 2 locations, working around a stretch of very wet weather. First, on 31 May, I planted a short row of ten beans by goat barn. These seeds were presoaked to give them a headstart on germinating.

In only four days, the cotyledons began to appear. It was tremendously exciting! Really, does this sight ever get old?

The fragments of clean, dried eggshells are intended to deter nibbling animals like mice from marching through the garden in search of the salad bar. Apparently something took a nibble out of the one below anyway, but the plant rose above it!

All ten beans germinated, gradually, over a ten-day period. Every morning I went out and counted the beans.

Ha! I became a bean-counter.
Where's my calculator?
Where's my pocket protector? 

This picture was taken 30 June. The baling-twine trellis was an experiment. You may have noticed, most things here are experiments.

A second row of 10 presoaked beans went in along a 6' fence in a new (sunny!) garden spot.

That sun-blocking greenery on the other side of the fence became part of the goats' menu. The goats are excellent gardening helpers, as long as they are on the proper side of the fence.*

After 9 days, these bean plants began popping up piecemeal over several days, and on the 14th of June, I planted the remaining 20+ seeds along the same fence. These last seeds were not soaked first. To my astonishment, eight days later, they all came up simultaneously. One morning there was a perfect row of beans greeting the sun, where the day before there had been only a line pressed into the ground.

Note to self: skip the presoaking next year!

Another surprise was the luxuriant growth of the planting by the goat barn (you can see the roof in the background), in an area with patchy light:

...compared to the sparse growth of the planting along the fence, in an area chosen because it gets so much sun:

So I have learned a couple of things about how and where to plant my pole beans next year.

Meanwhile, into the kitchen with the first beans!

I wouldn't call them "stringless" exactly...

but I've never minded stringing beans, so maybe I'm not quite as lazy as the "lazy wife" these beans were named for!

But...had they grown too big? Would they be tough?

Steamed them whole...

to accompany a little leftover roast chicken.

Delicious beans!
Meaty, yet tender.
Lovely flavor.

In fact, it's a good thing I took a picture before I started eating - see the steam on the fork? - because otherwise it would have been too late and this would have been a picture of...just chicken.

Fingers crossed for a long, late harvest period. It would be very nice to put up a few packets of these tasty beans for midwinter treats, but it seems more likely every bean will be eaten up long before it can see the inside of a freezer or jar.

I'm already planning where to plant more next year.

Thanks, Tipper! And thanks, Sow True Seeds!
~~~

*The day I spent a couple of hours planting onion sets, one of the goats slipped into the garden as I was going out the gate. The goat was in and out of the garden in roughly 12 seconds, but she left a row of deep sharp hoofprints straight down the new row of onions. Little monkey.

~~~~~