Where did the summer go?

Goodness me, I haven't written a blog post since February.  And now here we are at the end of summer.  Where did it go, and why does summer always have to go so quickly, compared to our interminable winter and not-really-spring-because-it's-too-cold-and-wet seasons.  I've been busy with work all summer, of course, and it's good to have work, but sometimes it's too much.  As always, difficult when one is running one's own business trying to ensure that contracts keep on coming in but also wishing that sometimes there would be more of a break!

As usual, I didn't do any traveling this summer.  I still have significant concerns about covid.  We both had it in April, despite having had 3 shots and wearing masks all the time.  Marc got it at work and brought it home and that was that.  It honestly wasn't that bad for me, but I don't want it again.  In addition, it's difficult to travel when one has livestock - especially chickens that need to be let out and let in every day, and closed for the night to keep them safe. 

I hatched 9 chicks this year and ended up with 6 roosters and 3 hens.  Not a great ratio!  One of the hens had some kind of predator incident despite being in a secure coop.  I think she may have gotten her wing stuck between cage bars, which made it stick out of the pen.  Unfortunately, something (cat?  fox?) came along and took most of her wing off.  I didn't think she would survive, but she has beaten the odds and now she has one normal wing

 and one mini-wing.  

You wouldn't necessarily know to look at her though, and she does well except for flying up onto the roosts.  I will have to make her a ramp.  She might be Winifred, or Wilhelmina.  Or maybe Wren.

I also ended up with a funny-looking bantam rooster, and I can't quite bring myself to send him to freezer camp, so he might get to stick around.

Some things in the veggie garden are doing well, and some are a disaster.  Carrots were dreadful - I did two seedings and the germination was awful, even though I kept them moist and did all the things you're supposed to do.  The parsnips, on the other hand, are doing very well.  I have lots of zucchini and cucumbers to harvest right now.

I've also been trying to get more walks into my week, and have been enjoying time at two local parks.  If it's raining, I don't go, but otherwise, I try to go at least 3 times a week.

That's about all I have.  I really should try to write more often.