summer heat and staying cool

Today is going to be a hot one! Finally! Last summer we didn't really have much heat, it rained a lot and stayed pretty cool. This summer I think is going to be different. And with this Iowa humidity, it usually feels hotter than the actual temp.

I finally turned on our air yesterday, the humidity got to me. Actually the melting of my Annie Sloan wax while I was trying to work on a piece of furniture inside my house got to me. That is a little uncomfortably warm if your wax melts inside your house, don't ya think?

So, today, I will be working comfortably with air conditioning. But while we have air in the house, our farm animals do not have that luxury.

These gals think they have the answer to staying cool. Yuck!

We will be outside several times a day in this heat, checking on our animals. The cows have automatic waters, and they have ample shade, but all of our birds (chickens and peacocks) will need fresh cool water brought to them throughout the day. Besides drinking it, they like to stand in it. That is the fastest way for the birds to cool their body temperature. 

And also, my pretty flowers will probably need a little extra attention in this heat. 

These are the days that I wish we had a pool here at the farm. But maybe if we go outside in our swimsuits and water down our 4H calves, we can pretend that we are laying poolside....that is what I'll tell my kiddos! 

Chicks and Calves

Our farm has some new little ones running around, and I couldn't be more excited. There is nothing cuter than a mama hen hatching her own chicks and taking care of them.

These are the Brahma chicks, there are 6 total

Our Silkie hens hatched 9. One is a black silkie, 7 are white, and one mixed. And the black hen is the one taking care of them all, poor Mama...could you imagine trying to corral 9 toddlers?? She does a great job showing them how to scratch the ground, where to find water, and then keeps them safe and warm from all the rain we've been having.

I took this close-up of them after just a few had hatched to share on our Instagram. SO cute and fluffy...Silkies are my favorites! 

And then this year has been a record...one of our Peacock Hens Peahens has hatched 5 little chicks peachicks herself! She laid on her nest with 5 eggs under her, and ALL 5 hatched and have survived!! 

Daddy Paco is proud too! 

She is taking wonderful care of her babies. There is another Hen laying on a nest with an unknown amount of eggs under her. We are hoping for the best...and the incubator is full (17) of what looks to be good eggs also. (Baileyhusband recently kindled them and they look to have chicks growing inside!)

WHEW! That will be alot of little ones running around....look for our "For SALE" page on our website Irishman Acres if you are interested in purchasing some Peafowl from us! They are MY FAVORITE farm bird. 

I also wanted to show some new pictures of our little calf that Carly Jo had on June 13th...that was Friday, the 13th!!! Her name is Carolina, and she is precious (of course).

You can read all about the day she arrived HERE. 

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I hope that this weekend has some rain-free moments so we can get more outside work done for our big 4th of July party that is coming SOONER than we will be ready for! (Wow, that was one big long sentence..just picture it coming out of my mouth fast and out of breath....because that is how my brain and body are functioning right now!) Happy Friday!

Top Ten Rules for Country Living

Top Ten Rules for Country Living

(according to me, a Baileywife, who after living in the country for almost 15 years, still has SO MUCH to learn!)

{Hershey and Buddy}

1. Plant tomatoes- LOTS OF THEM-  more than anyone can possibly eat or even can (i.e. canning into sauces, salsa, etc). This also goes for potatoes for us this year....who needs this many potatoes?? I love me some potatoes, rather baked, mashed, fried, or frenched.....but we will NEVER be able to eat all that will be harvested.

{a portion of our garden this year!}

  2. Share all that is harvested with your neighbors and family....or for us, our neighbors ARE family! :) Kind of like a free farmer's market!

 3. Know the difference between an annual and a perennial. Makes gardening a lot easier. And know the difference in your weeds....makes those itchy rashes less annoying in your life!

{perennials}

{annuals}

4.Be willing to re-plant numerous things due to storms, kids, deer, or a certain peacock! Actually witnessed this fellow helping himself to our pepper and zucchini plants, but didn't tell Baileyhusband....I let him believe it was a rabbit in the middle of the night that kept coming back! (hehehe)

{Felipe trying to eat the blooms of our zucchini plant} 

5. Make peace with spiders and snakes- still working on the whole snake thing!

{this was NOT taken here, I copied from Fresh Eggs Daily's Facebook page}

6. Be early to bed, so you can be early to rise. Your rooster is good at helping you with that!

But you don't want to miss the most amazing sunrises....

7. Front porches are a MUST.....keeps you cool in the shade, covered in the rain, somewhere to sit and sip lemonade after a long day of yardwork, and up off the ground away from snakes. (And please don't burst my bubble telling me snakes can slither up to my happy place too, I will pretend they don't)

8. Learn to drive a tractor and/or riding lawn mower. Let's face it, no one wants to push mow an acreage. (and you are up off the ground, where there are snakes) This took me many years to get the nerve up to learn a Kubota tractor mower, but now that I did, it is MY JOB.... My mommy-time to myself and listen to the music I want to listen to on my IPOD.

9. No need for a gym membership, there is plenty to do around the farm....weeding, raking, mowing, gardening, sweeping, watering, feeding....and if that isn't enough: the country roads are amazing for bike riding and jogging!

10. And speaking of the farm....You must have animals.... if for no other reason than entertainment. 

{Tiny, our gray silkie, half-way through his bath....this makes me LAUGH}

{no denying who the culprit was that got into the garbage! } 

These next few weeks are going to be FULL of farm entertainment....we are getting ready for our 4H County Fair, so we are knee deep in homemade projects and getting our "Show Animals" ready.

Hope everyone has an awesome family and friends- filled 4th of July Weekend! 

~Kim

Linking up to:

From the Farm Blog Hop

Being married to a DIRT DIGGER.....

Well, being married to a "dirt man" does have it's advantages when it comes to certain yard work....

 and crazy ideas that certain wives may have....

Like when it comes to the relocation of a chicken coup because it is blocking the view of our barn. 

Daddy brings in the BIG GUNS....and carefully lifts and carries it to it's new location.....

Now the chicken coup will have prime real estate next to our garden/ feed shed. 

And believe me, it's getting a cute little make-over with a rock path and possibly window boxes?!

But sometimes, being married to a dirt digger is a MESS....having access to such machines, can be dangerous on our yard! 

This time he used his mini-excavator. And to quote Baileyhusband, "It's like digging with a spoon". 

He is digging a water line to our cow pasture, so no more running a hose clear from our house over to the water trough.....really not fun to do in the dead of winter!! So even though my yard is quite a mess for the time being, eventually it will be worth it. 

But no more fun watching this:

I feel a little lazy just watching him do all the hard work, but since these pictures were taken a couple of weeks ago, I have done TONS of yard work and spring cleanup....and even got to mow this past weekend! YIPPEE! Yes, I LOVE MOWING! Especially since it is too cold for snakes still! :)

 

Loving spring around here, can't wait to get my inner gardener goddess out of hybernation, 

I've got my lists made for the nursery.....

~Kim

Bringing Home the Babies: my first guest blogger!

Today, I have a GUEST BLOGGER! His name is Wyatt...one of the Baileysons ;) He has some news from our farm to share....take it away Wyatt!!

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Hi, my name is Wyatt I really don't want to do this but my mom is making me......So i dont know what to say. This morning my dad got a phone call from our local post office saying that our chicks that I have been waiting for arrived. This is a 4-H project for me this year to show at the fair. Hopefully we ordered them soon enough to get them to their full potential. 

Our local post office.

The shipping box from Murray McMurray.

Our first peek inside.

A small box for 32 chicks, so they can stay warm.

The chick that my brother, Gunnar, is holding is  Golden Laced Polish.

 This chick that I am holding is a White Crested Black Polish.

 This chick that my dad is holding is a Blue Silkie.

Introducing the baby chicks to their new home out in our detached garage.

  

Once the chicks got in their new home they all huddled up 

under the heat lamp to stay warm.

This heat pad I found came underneath of the hay in the box  makes the chicks warm while on their cold ride to the  post office.

That green goo in their food is Grow Gel, it helps the chicks get off to a good start on their life.

Once my dad put the food in the brooder all the chicks ran after the food.

 The chicks that my dad and I ordered were Golden Laced Polish, White Crested Black Polish, 

Blue Silkies, White Silkies, and Buff Brahma Bantams. Murray McMurray Hatchery, the company that we ordered our chicks from gives you a free exotic chick for every order and the free chick that we got my dad thinks it is a Black Tailed Buff.

I can't wait to see the chicks grow older. My dad and I are going to build new enclosures  that we can keep all he different breeds separated.

The End

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Good job, Wyatt!( I didn't really "make him", but he WAS the one that took  pictures and it is his story to tell! :) I can't wait to see the enclosures you and Dad  make this spring...maybe i will "make you" blog about that too!? 

~Mama (~Kim)

Linking to:

From the Farm Blog Hop #40