I got my soil sample tests back from the County, and the ‘numbers’ were interesting. I sampled my garden (6,000 sq.ft.), big pasture (43,000 sq. ft.) and barn pasture (14,000 sq. ft). The garden plot came back with a significantly higher pH, and phosphorus and potassium indexes well above optimum, likely due to all the compost and manure I’ve tilled into the soil over the last year and a half.
Added 360 pounds of lime and 30 pounds of Group D fertilizer, and that should be enough soil amendments for 2 or 3 years.
Just WAY too hot this weekend to get much else done outside.
When I fed the “puppy ducks” in their small pond enclosure this morning, I noticed the small pond was almost dry again. So, I left the enclosure open to see if they might come out themselves this time. I shoo’d them out the other day, and they didn’t respond well (panic).
Just as I was assembling this video, I looked out and saw all of them playing in the big pond. Before I could get a camera up, our resident deer that seems to be a permanent fixture around the house pretty much every evening, popped her head up from the weeds next to the pond and scared the baby ducks out. But, less than 10 minutes later, they were back in the big pond, so I put the drone up to get some close ups, and more importantly get a good headcount. I’m happy to report that all 15 ducklings are still accounted for.
They have feathered up quite a bit in the last week. I’m surprised by their black and grey coloring. Since Bianca is (statistically) the mother of half the ducklings, I’m guessing that her ‘pure blonde’ coloring is some sort of fluke, a gene expression not exhibited by any of her offspring. I don’t care so much if they get her coloring, but I hope a few of them get her personality, which is just AMAZING for a duck.