Summer is here!

...and I am working on a true "farmer's tan!" Well, not really "working" on one, I just forgot to put sunscreen on this morning and you can clearly see where my T-shirt sleeves end and where I wear my watch.

It is now starting to get warm enough to wear t-shirts, wide-brimmed hats and lots of sunscreen. Not sure what the temp is, but it feels like 80's. I think I may have even gotten a bit of heat rash today. Ugh. Adding heat to my workday has just made it that much more exhausting! I hope I can make it until mid-August with the heat, back pain, and pregnancy working against me! I really do enjoy the work, I just wish my body could keep up with me. Hmm, never really thought about me ever saying that kind of phrase! I still feel too young to have such physical ailments, but I suppose that's what computer work, carrying a base drum for 5 years, and just growing older will do to ya.

I might think about starting earlier when it's cooler, and take breaks besides just a lunch. That is definitely one thing I like about this type of work. There is a lot less structure as far as workday and workweek. If I want to take a long lunch, no prob, I just work later to compensate. I can take breaks whenever, run up to the house to get a snack, make a phone call/text, wear anything I want, make-up & hairdos are pointless, pick & choose what I do each day (more or less), start/end times are flexible and so are days off. I much prefer having some control over my daily schedule, so that has been nice!

RANDOM HAPPENINGS AROUND THE FARM....

Two swarms of bees have flown over the farm in the past week. Likely the same group of bees I'm guessing. It was quite freaky to see thousands of bees just above our heads, and not knowing what they were going to do. Luckily they just moved into the nearby trees, looking for a new spot for a hive. I have no idea if I am allergic to bees, never been stung, and I don't want to find out while I'm pregnant!

While harvesting nasturtium leaves today, I was stung by a nettle plant. I usually do things with gloves on, but harvesting these small leaves requires delicate handling so, no gloves. There were so many weeds around the nasturtiums that I just didn't see the nettle hiding there. I have to say they are EVIL plants. I may have mentioned them in a previous post, but that is what the farm is named after. Stinging nettles are plants that look a bit like blackberry bushes, complete with tiny hairs/thorns that release a chemical when you touch them. It immediately stings like the dickens, like fire, and doesn't go away for about 24 hours. Luckily the intensity decreases, but the skin is still tender and tingly. Water makes the sensation worse, but I have found that my anti-itch cream helps a little. I think this has been my 4th time being stung so far. SO glad we don't have these in AZ (but I guess we have other things to worry about, like scorpions!)

I had to chase a deer out of the garden yesterday. They sure are cute, but would totally destroy our garden if they had the chance. A section of our deer fencing was accidentally torn down by Jasmine, our anxious, scared-of-the-fireworks farm dog. One deer wasted no time jumping through the hole. I opened all three gates nice and wide, but of course the deer panicked and jumped into the in-tact fencing quite a few times. It took two of us to herd the deer in the right direction, but it finally ran through the open gates.

Our two coops of young chickens are not all hens, apparently. There is definitely a rooster in each coop, but may be two in each. The second ones are starting to look like roosters (big comb on top of the head, long shiny colorful feathers, and larger size) but haven't started to crow yet. The coops aren't next to each other, and the roosters crow back and forth to one another. I joke that one is still going through puberty because his "voice" falters at the end and he doesn't quite have it yet. I wonder if they are bragging to each other about how pretty all their hens are :) So, the poor roosters have no place on our farm (we need laying hens, aka: eggs) and will get "the ax" quite soon. They are harassing the hens trying to mate, and the poor hens squawk loudly in protest. I can see why - the rooster grabs her neck with his beak! It looks kind of scary, poor girls! The other day I heard someone say that the boys are "packing peanuts," haha, because no one really needs the roosters (the chicks arrive by mail in large boxes).

Not sure what has changed recently, but we are getting invaded by so many bunnies! Again, I thought they were so adorable when I first got here. They are still cute, but now I see them as a pest that can destroy all our hard work. We check the fences to ensure that there aren't any gaps, but the bunnies chew right through the plastic deer fencing. Luckily, we have our own Elmer Fudd to hunt down those "wascally wabbits." I'm ok with reducing the bunny population (lord knows they will replenish before we know it!) as long as I am not there to witness it or the processing of them (Elmer Fudd plans to eat them. Waste not...) I might even be brave enough to try some bunny soup, we'll see!

Alrighty, off to relax my sore muscles. Hope everyone has a great week! Stay cool out there my fellow Arizonians!

Jen