Today I got some early summer farm chores accomplished.  This morning I worked on the garden.  I removed the plastic bells that I use to protect cold sensitive plants.  I moved them to the “parts” manure spreader and noticed this garter snake trying to warm up, hopefully before he eats a lot of slugs.   With our very cool spring, we have an excellent slug crop this year.  But there’s no way the corn will be knee high by the Fourth of July.

I planted 11 more tomato starts from our greenhouse to an area next to it.  Looks kind of rustic using branches as supports.

I need to cut down some bamboo, let the goats eat it and use them for bean poles.  I ran out of time today but hopefully this weekend.  I did weed whack around the perimeter of the garden to minimize the slug protection.  I weeded too.

When I went out to the barn I noted that the nursing ewes were yelling.  I could not find the black lambs anywhere and started to worry.  Then I noticed them in the next field.  They had snuck through the gate and were grazing there, ignoring their mothers completely.  Here they are returning.  They do not look very apologetic to me.

Then this afternoon I spread manure.  The forecast is good, and the spreader is full.   Here’s the tractor, the spreader, and the lambs and llama checking it out.

Here’s the spreading.  I love do this, but I am not sure why.  I almost feel like I have a rooster tail (like the old hydros from my childhood).  I wear a wide brimmed hat and let the sh*t fly (literally).

Here’s what I thought was a nice view I noticed while spreading.  It’s the neighbor’s barn and our sheep.

Some of the does and their kids broke into the next field when I brought the spreader through the gate.  I just left them there.  Here’s a kid copying her mother.

I caught all the lambs and the younger goats and placed them in pens in the barn.  When Tom came home from work, we did health maintenance on the lambs and kids: shots, worming, coccidiosis medication, hoof trimming and ear tags.  Next most of the lambs and kids will be weaned.  Several are going to their new homes the beginning of next week.