It's for my own good.

I had taken Friday off, so I got a nice, long weekend.  Four whole days.  F.O.U.R.  When left to my own devices, I can become shockingly feral in four days.  This is why I almost always plan some social 'do' at the Little Lucky on the last day.  I am forced to stop.  I am forced to clean the house.  I am forced to plan a menu.  I am forced to clean up my act.  Little do my workmates realize how lucky they are that I am forced to clean up my act.  Although, I did notice that I was not able to get all the grime out from under my fingernails...

In amongst the digging, shoveling, planting, raking, schlepping, trimming, and rassling, were some fun things.  (Honestly?  It's all fun to me...) 

Friday was Honey Extracting Day.  I rendezvous-ed with DS Melanie and Marianne for a session of honey extracting up at the farm mid-morning.  It was fun.  And sticky.  And we only just got halfway through.  I then motored home and took the dogs for a walk.  Then I started on the garden - and introduced the New Roo - "Bleu", brother of Roquefort, to the girls.  I put him in the holding coop and let everyone sort of get used to each other.  Frankly, he was more interested in the pile of scratch feed than he was in the voluptuous hens sashaying around the coop, trying to catch his eye.  Once everyone had retired for the evening, I tucked him between two hens on the roost and closed the door.  The following morning...silence.  It was odd.  When I peeked in, he seemed to be trying to keep the lowest profile he could muster - I think he was holding his breath.  Once they came out, however, he realized he was the King of All He Saw and started the Elvis.  Unfortunately for him, the first female he cast his beady eyes on was Penelope, the hen turkey.  She was not amused.  In fact, she was highly offended.  After a futile ten minutes of chasing and being chased, he then focused on one of the crazy Welsummer hens.  She beat him up.  Bleu was off to a rocky start.  Things have since calmed down and he seems to be a nice fellow.  And, thank goodness, his crow is not like his brother's.  The music is back.

Saturday was the weekly Parental Visit and a rather rainy, cool day.  Once I got home, it was back into the garden, rain or no rain.  I worked until the light started fading, then straggled inside.  Sunday morning I was up early and met my friend, Maggie, for coffee at a neat little cafe about twenty minutes from me.  It has gotten very popular and I noticed the prices have risen substantially.  It is right on a main route for City folks who swarm north to the Country.  I assume the prices reflect the clientele.  But the coffee is excellent and it's provided by a local roaster, Fred Cashmere (he of the luxuriant mustache) and Liquid Assets.  Then we went our separate ways and I was back to work. 

My goal was to get the garden fully planted by Monday early afternoon.  DS Melanie and I met early Monday morning for an hour of greenhouse work - weeding, watering and planting melons.  Then back to the LLF for the final onslaught.  And to plant my Arborvitae to (hopefully) make up for the slash and burn by our great electric provider.  The last squash seedling went in the ground at 1:30.  I made it with minutes to spare.  But with leftover seed potatoes, darn it.  Not surprisingly, I ran out of room.  Those pesky potatoes are, apparently, not "friends" with much else in my garden.  I spent quite a bit of time trying to find a place for them that would not cause strife with the other vegetables.  Darn potato trouble-makers.  I will take better photos of the solution to my yearly dilemma when I am less exhausted and it's not raining.  Here is the general look of things:

Everything in!

Last year's strawberry bed going
gangbusters.  Tomatoes and peppers
(and fennel and marigolds) to the left.

More lettuce!

Center aisle with potatoes, onions, horseradish,
chives, mint, comfrey and pansies.

I had my neighbors (Parents #2) and the Lawn Guy over for dinner - it's a good combination, as they can compare surgeries, etc. and generally keep each other occupied while I finish dinner and get it on the table.  I had invited the Lawn Guy over earlier, as we were both in need of adult beverages by that point and Parents #2 do not drink.  We swilled down a G&T apiece before they arrived.  The only concession I made to my imminent exhaustion, was to downgrade the dessert from a scintillating (sounding) Rhubarb Coconut Custard Tart, to black cherry ice cream with some amazing No-Bake Cookies I made for the barn crew - a confection of cocoa, butter, sugar, coconut, peanut butter, oats and vanilla that is fantastic.  No one minded.  Then I loaded the dishwasher, made a cup of tea and sat down.

Then it was today.  Lots more from the dreamy-long weekend, but enough for now!  I am now going to catch-up on all your goings-on...