Picking blackberries, chiggers, and a snake in the hen house!

      Yes, that's right! I've experienced all that this week! I love blackberry jelly, but I question if it's worth going through all this to make it! The canes have scratchy thorns that stab and stick into your skin. There is tall grass and cow itch to maneuver around, and chiggers! I thought I'd be OK since I had on my boots. I thought they started at your ankles and crawled up! I was wrong! Chiggers will jump on any part of your clothes and body and embed into your skin, just about any where! I couldn't believe my eyes when I bathed that night! My torso was covered in red bumps! I've had chiggers before, but not like this! At least they don't itch too bad! Poison Ivy, however, is so much worse! Or cow itch, or Sumac! They all terrorize me!


      This morning as I started out to pick blackberries, I noticed a hen cackling. That's not at all unusual, since they do that when they lay an egg. They are usually outside the hen house when they start that, though. She didn't come out. I checked and I couldn't believe my eyes! There was a snake in there! A CHICKEN SNAKE! You don't want to see a chicken snake in the HEN HOUSE! They eat eggs, and chickens! The eggs were gone, and Blackie may have gotten eaten, had I not walked out when I did! I opened the doors to try and let it out. I got Blackie out finally, but she kept wanting back in! She's been broody for a couple of months, and will stay in there even after I've gathered the eggs! I closed the gate so she couldn't get back in. I got my hoe and tried to shoo the snake out! It started to the front and looked like it was going down, then it saw me with the camera and went back in! I new I couldn't kill it! I just couldn't imagine the feeling of the hoe going into the body of the snake! That freaks me out! I can't kill anything! I decided to call the hubs, so I went inside. He said he'd come home, but the snake would probably be gone by the time I got back out there. I said naa, because it didn't seem afraid! I even touched it's tail when it was at the front of the hen house! It felt scaly, not slimy! Well, hubs was right, as usual, and when I went back out there, the snake was gone! Now I'm concerned it will be back again tomorrow for an egg breakfast! That really was a freaky sight! It was so long, I thought there were two of them! I'm glad it was just one! What would you have done if you saw the snake? Would you kill it? How? I wished I could! Maybe if I see it again, I'll be able to! I know I would if I saw it eat one of my chickens! I guess! It's probably hiding under the black plastic next to the hen house! I know it's not going to bother me, that's why I'm not afraid of it! When I was trying to get it out, at one point it was facing me and opened it's mouth as if yawning! I said, "You bore me too, snake!"


      We had two birthday parties this week and have had children here a couple of days! I forgot my camera at my Mom's birthday, so I used my Dad's camera. He has it, so when I get the card, I'll share some photos. I don't know if I can top this post this week, so it may be next week before I share again! Ya'll have a good weekend if I don't talk to you until next week! Blessings from Bama!

Not the birthday girl, but check out those beautiful eyes!

Birthday girl! Running around so much, wouldn't smile, so Mom had to hold her while I snapped this shot! Son not to happy about little girl birthday parties!

They love to play!

Look at little bit!

Is she not the most adorable thing you've ever seen?

Little bit slapping Uncle Ran with the party blower.

She liked the money best of all!

Mashing blackberries for juice.

Cubed steak soaking in buttermilk.

Now turned into country fried steak and gravy!

I love Wright's apple wood smoked bacon!

Blackberry juice. I need a cup and a half more!

What I saw when I opened the door!

Moving to the front. Doesn't it look like two snakes?

That is one thick snake! I guess the eggs are in the middle.

Trying to go out the front, but went back in when it saw me! See the black plastic? I think it's under there waiting until tomorrow! He might just get a surprise, tomorrow!

Is your sugar lumpy?

      Mine sure is this time of year! Since I've been making plum jelly this week, and a cake, I've really gone through a lot of sugar! Every time I open a new bag, it is all clumped up! It stays like that, too, unless I do something to get the lumps out. Just had that on my mind!


      We finally got some rain today! Yay! We actually got a small shower the night I wrote my last post, and boy, was I glad! It's been so hot and humid, and I have to water the garden every day! I finally got another sprinkler to help with the job, but I still have to move it around a lot. I have some garden photos below.


      The hubs and I are sitting here, looking through our bird books trying to find a bird I've been seeing as I walk, the past few days. It is the most beautiful blue I have ever seen! It' solid blue with a gold beak. It doesn't even come close to looking like the bluebirds I see here! The hubs thinks it's a tropical bird that's in migration or migrated here for the summer. I'll let ya'll know if we find out what it is. It's hard to believe that today is June first! We have a couple of birthdays and an anniversary this month. We will be celebrating twenty-one years! It doesn't seem like it at all! Before we know it, it will be fall again! Stay cool! Ya'll have a great weekend! Blessings from Bama!

Another batch of plum jelly.

Lumpy sugar!

She's been a busy lady!

Cooling the cakes.

Not so pretty, but oh, so good!

I went out to the garden the other day and found the sunflower had hit the ground! I propped it against the fence, but it's looking puny. I tied the other sunflower to the fence post in hopes to save it from hitting the ground.

The yellow twine matches the sunflower.

Beautiful zucchini!

An eggplant!

See, it's an Ichiban eggplant!

I have decided that this is the Candy Roaster pumpkin I got from Lil Suburban Homestead. A blog on Wordpress I visit.

Tomatoes and basil, how you've grown! The animals in the background are enjoying the shade! They're usually not too far from me.

Look at those lovelies!

And these!

The mystery plant. Sorry it's fuzzy. Looks like a squash.

Another Candy Roaster.

The Candy Roaster at a distance. The corn and beans haven't come up yet. I wonder why?

See, no beans or corn.

Yummy, delicious blackberries! When I get enough, I'll make juice, then jelly.

What has your attention today?

      Are you staying in out of the 95 degree heat, or are you in the pool? If I had a pool, I don't know if I could even stand to be in it. I'm doing things inside until it gets a little 'cooler' because the temps. are going to get even hotter today. I watched Joyce today and she had an interesting prop. She had Dave come up on the stage and wear a robe. He was playing the part of God. She had on a raggedy and torn coat. God (Dave) took her coat and gave her his robe, but it was too big. God (Dave) said "That's OK, you'll grow into it." Isn't that a neat description of how we grow in our walk with the Lord? We grow in grace and as we grow, we begin to fill the robe of righteousness God gives us when we became a Christian. God sees us as righteous through the Blood of His Son Jesus, not our own righteousness. Our righteousness and 'works' are as filthy rags! I'm so glad God sees me that way, aren't you?
     Hubby got one of the trees cut up and moved from the path, down behind the house. It was one from April 27. I filled the wagon again this morning with more dirt to go in another raised bed he hasn't built yet. I also need to go down the hill into the neighbors pasture and get some horse manure. But I have to empty the wagon first. I should get another wagon and mower! NOT!
      Blackberries are not quite 'there' yet. Hope to get some soon. TTUL!

The place where I was digging dirt and hauling it up the hill.

Full wagon, again!

Can you see the humidity on the trees?

Blackberries.

Spot where the tree was across the path. Burn barrel contains the fire.