Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Fuzzy Butts And Beautiful Flowers

It wasn't easy but we corralled one of the new little bantam chicks today so you could get a closer look at the little guy (or, hopefully, girl!).

Four days old today and cute as a button. I should have had Papa Pea hold a ruler or something next to the chick (with his third hand) for size comparison.

Mama Hen and four babies continue to do just fine.

After lunch on this glorious day, I hopped into my trusty little Toyota Tercel and took off for a ride into the countryside. My mission?

Well, first I made a stop at the Post Office as I went through town, then hit the Recycling Center at the edge of town to drop off a small load, and then went on to the home of a fantastic gardener a few miles the other side of town to get a special present for myself.

Aren't these beautiful? G grows all kinds of gorgeous flowers and she advertised these gladioli (yup, that's the plural . . . I had to look it up) for $5 a bunch. So not only did I take the time off from my list of To Dos at home for a lovely drive there and back (and a very pleasant visit), but now I have these glads to enjoy for a week or so which is how long they should last.

Flowers are amazing outside in their natural habitat but I think add such color and vibrancy when brought inside to enjoy.

21 comments:

Kelly said...

Beautiful flowers! Worth the trip for sure ☺ The baby chick is so cute! I love that breed! The roosters are even cute running across the yard with their feathered feet and fluffy butts!

judy said...

You better hold those flowers dear,and them maybe freeze them ,just so you can pull them out once in a while to gaze at.temps here will feel like 100 degrees for a couple of days but up in your area ,maybe here to, it will drop 50 degrees next week-there is a tree in the back yard that has lost most of its leaves?We have a visitor the size of your baby chick,my son Dan,recused a baby kitten outside his work in a storm drain.Took him 1 and 1/2 hours in the middle of the night (that's his reg. hours )he is warming some milk to room temp to put in a dropper.I do not know much about animals but Dan, my" gentle giant" he's not a giant but he loves children (takes them all to the park every week-end ) and is always bringing home helpless creatures in need :)

Lisa said...

Your flowers are beautiful and I love your photo with the glorious sunshine streaming in showcasing them. Cute Chicks!!! Glad to hear Mama Hen and babies are doing so well.

Anonymous said...

There was a lady on my commute to work while I was living in Maine who always had these gorgeous bunches of Gladioli (way to go on the word!) for sale on a cute little home-made stand. She used Mason jars as vases and I always returned them to her.

Anonymous said...

I cracked up at the "fuzzy butts" title! So glad you got away from the "to do" list and did something for yourself :) You deserve it.

Susan said...

There is nothing like a vase full of flowers to brighten up ANY day (or mood). It made me realize that I've concentrated so much on planting nothing but food, that I haven't left room for planting something that feeds my soul. Thank you for the wake-up call (and for the fuzzy butt picture...)

Mama Pea said...

Kelly - I think a fascinating part of keeping chickens is the fact that there are so many colorful breeds! Talk about adding color to the homestead and interest to the homestead . . . they can sure do it!

Mama Pea said...

judy - I hadn't heard about the drop in temps for next week but we do have a couple of really hot days forecast the rest of this week.

Hope Dan's little kitten makes it!

Mama Pea said...

Lisa - Thanks, Lisa. We're all enjoying the flowers, that's for sure. I'm glad I spent the time and money to get them to enjoy!

Mama Pea said...

Fearless Farmgirl - The gladioli do put on a show, don't they? We used to have an elderly couple in the community who raised beautiful flowers and one morning a week he would park in the municipal lot in town and sell bouquets off the tailgate of his truck. He's long gone now but, I think, well remembered.

Thanks for commenting!

Mama Pea said...

Stephanie - Tombstone Livestock used the "fuzzy butt" label the other day in one of her comments and it tickled my funny bone, too.

Thanks for the encouragement, as always.

Mama Pea said...

Susan - I've always made a practice of sticking little plantings of flowers (mostly annuals) interspersed in the vegetable gardens. Those bright splashes of color add so much every time I'm out there or look out through a window. (Plus they're good companion plants, too!)

Someday (SOMEDAY!, she says) I'm going to really study and learn about growing cut flowers so I can fill the house with them from spring through fall. Yup. I am. I really am.

Patty said...

The little chick is adorable! Our chicks are little miniatures of mama already. They grow so fast. Those flowers are beautiful! My grandmother always grew a row of glads in her huge garden. Brings back great memories. :)

Mama Pea said...

Patty - I've yet to see a little new chick that isn't adorable!

Yes, glads are a rather "old-fashioned" flower, aren't they. My image of "Grandmother's Flower Garden" (although I never had a grandmother who had a flower garden) is a goal I've always dreamed of having.

Jane @ Hard Work Homestead said...

What a cute fuzzy wuzzy. And the flowers are very pretty too.

Sue said...

Beautiful bouquet.
Hubby won me over when we were first dating by STEALING some peach glads from a garden we were biking by. Naughty, I know. But he saw how my eyes lit up.
Wow-now you think I'm married to a criminal. He's actually the most law abiding guy on earth. I kinda liked that "wild side". But just that once!

Mama Pea said...

Jane - It always amazes me how calm and unaffected the newly hatched babies seem when you hold them. Maybe they don't know enough yet to be scared of us big ol' humans! Or maybe Mama Hen has already explained that we are the source of good stuff to eat when worms and bugs go underground for the winter.

judy said...

well from a 100 to 60 at night is a 40 point drop but I did get the message wrong,so no baking yet,I'm pretending to be momma cat,meow

Mama Pea said...

Sue - I think he was so smitten with love for you that he temporarily lost his law-abiding head and went crazy! (It's just a good thing you didn't walk by a jewelry store and go all ga-ga over a diamond necklace!) Hee-hee.

Mama Pea said...

judy - I'm still not lighting the oven yet either. I made a small casserole for us tonight and baked it in the toaster oven I got for my birthday last April. That little appliance is proving to be worth its weight in gold. (Well, okay, maybe not with the price of gold today.)

Erin said...

Gosh you weren't kidding, so tiny! The flowers are very pretty.