My little Shiloh. I was unpleasantly surprised to be unable to find a nice picture of Shiloh among my recent at-home pictures. She is either slightly hiding or headed off somewhere. This is a recent photo of our picnic at the lake, but as you can see she is in a hurry to be somewhere. She reminds me a bit of a hummingbird... usually in motion, slightly elusive, but easily attracted by food!
We are among the many that realize the importance and value of the little honey bee and their services to the world, what a sweet life they lead. 
Lovely Destiny, looking rather concerned about the well-being of the precious arrivals in the chicken coop.
Our pair of broody hens, sat together, hatched young chicks together, and care for them together. What nice friends!
Happy Birthday Chicky Baby! You won't be lonely for long!
Absolutely incredible how each day old peep knows that Mommy Hen has all the answers!
And that is me having a sunny moment........
Gardner Chester showing off his watermelon patch......
We can't wait to taste his crop!
The chicks of the spring are growing big and strong!
Miss Ave´is eager to master the skill of goat milking. 
Each day has it dawn and its dusk, its good moments and its not so good moments. It is a blessed thing to grow a little sun if you can, for those days when the sky is dark.......
Jason suggested I take pictures of this lovely rainy day. It was beautiful. I think rainy days are so peaceful. Our little duck was enjoying the day too!
Baby Raya, my little Nubian, is a dream come true. When my parents divorced I was heartbroken to say goodbye to my barn full of sweet Nubians. Jason and I were able to have some milkers for a short time after we were married, but a move to town put an end to our fresh goat's milk. Recently we were able to get 3 does from my dear friend, Helen. Thank you, Helen! We are so pleased and delighted with our sweet does! And the goat's milk has been very well liked by my family and friends, I am so glad!
We didn't have much luck incubating our own keets (baby guineas). So, Jason ordered some from a local Agway. They are growing nicely and make such sweet sounds. 
Our sweet, little, black hen, named Hope, is such a good mother. I was delighted that she decided to go broody, and the day her chicks hatched was like Christmas with presents that opened themselves! Not all of the babies were strong enough to hatch and some didn't fare so well afterwards, but she has six strong, young chicks in a surprising variety colors. I just love watching them scratch around the garden.
This picture of our rooster, Romeo, was taken by Jason early in the morning before he left for work. I very rarely get up as early as he does, but part of me wants to. The misty beauty, cool air, and momentary quietness are surely worth it, not to mention a few precious minutes alone with my hubby. Today we wouldn't have been alone, though, since I offered a piece of ice cream cake to any of the children that would weed the strawberries in the cool of the morning. Destiny and Savannah were quick to take me up on that offer, they got up at 5:30 a.m. to weed the berries! They must really like cake!
My friend Bernice was hoping to get "a" duckling at auction. She ended up with three bunnies and eight ducklings! Auction can be a "dangerous" shopping experience! Unfortunately four of her ducklings were not hardy enough to be sold on a cold day. Having four Runner ducklings left and knowing that Jason also has a fondness for ducks, she decided to make of gift of two of them to him when he returned from his trip. He was delighted..... 
They already follow him around! And its not a big surprise that they love water, no matter how much they are given they continually scoop it up in their beaks and then spit it all over themselves until it is all gone, then they holler for more! Jason loves his new little friends. We all do!
We have had the chickens since last year. A friend of a friend was getting rid of them, and we found it impossible to refuse the offer. I am so glad that we did because they have been a constant source of pleasure, and are very good layers! I have been trying to figure out what breed they most resemble. I suppose it is possible that they are a mix, but they seem to have the characteristics of the Standard Bantam Cochins. Hopefully that is what they are, because that breed is known for being good brooders. Apparently they make excellent mothers! We are hoping that one of them will decide to go broody. The little red A-frame inside the chicken coop (below) is our version of a broody box. They lay in it every day, and seem to contemplate the big decision.........
(We got the photos working again! Here is Jason in his new beekeeper hat! And our spinach in the hotbox! It is doing well, I am anxious to eat some.)
