The week has flown by! Full of family events, the angst of high school exams and much work and a bit of worry on the farm!
We got our second batch of progression seeding done, just before the rains came (again)! This is a duplicate seeding for some select vegetables that ensures that we have fresh veggies throughout the season. For instance, we planted another batch of peas, beans, and beets as well as all the greens (lettuce, chard, kale, spinach, etc.)
This week we've been battling a predator, possibly a weasel or fox who is determined to get at our chickens. It is always a balance between wanting to leave our birds out on pasture where they can be healthy and happy but still keeping them safe from the nasties. We trapped a couple of skunks who killed some of our laying hens but something still got almost 40 of our meat birds this week! We are trying a number of strategies between setting traps, bringing some of the birds into the barn at night, electric fencing around the layers, etc. It's an ongoing worry! 
Last night on a tour of the gardens, I discovered that we have potato bugs! Its been almost a decade since we have been infested but alas they are back! This has added an hour to the day as the only management that isn't a pesticide is manually picking the adult bugs and eggs off the plants on a daily basis until eradicated. When our children were toddlers we used to pay them a penny a bug! Not sure that's going to work now!
As anyone who relies on the mother nature for her blessing, we've been looking at the skies quite a bit and wishing for a bit less moisture! We are grateful that we have been spared some of the hail and damaging wind that others have received but we have standing water in the fields and are really hopeful for some drying winds and sunny skies for a few days! On the upside, Patty and her piglets are enjoying the excellent wallowing that the rain has created!
As I close, I would be remiss to not salute all the dad's on the farm... Farmer Phil and Caesar, the rooster have been much celebrated today (between chores) and we're looking forward to spending the rest of the evening in a classic Fenez-style board game tournament as a family to end a great day!
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