Picked a half pound of strawberries in 5 minutes. Had to stop because I can't freeze them right now and can't eat more than half a pound of them. The chickens ate the bad ones happily.
The 2 buff Orpington teenage hens followed me around a little, as did a young Rhode Island Red. The Cinnamon Queens might be the most beautiful of the bunch but they are also the most aloof. Only 3 eggs today. Andy thinks the Astralorps may have stopped laying. I was hoping Mamma Mia would get back in the laying game after breaking her broody spell (and leaving 15 rotten eggs). Maybe not quite. I still need to finish cleaning the coop and run and get it all cozy for laying or rearing the 6 babies.
The air quality was predicted to get bad today so I got up at 6 and used the most quiet device I have, the battery-powered string trimmer. It was still sort of loud. I got the blueberries almost completely trimmed up and went a little into the woods. Such a difference from farm to forest. Very moist, not much growing on the trail and saw a cute little red eft.
Saw a snake in the big orchard. I hope it doesn't know about the indigo bunting nest down low in the peach tree. I would love it to eat the mice and voles.
Doug at Common Table told me that the super cold temperatures we had for a few days in February ruined the stone fruits for the whole area. Bummer. We saw caterpillars, Japanese beetles, and leaf rollers so there are still pests on the leaves, if not the non-existent fruit.
Ran the brush hog in the apple orchard where the weeds were taller than the trees. I left some big mullein plants. It needs weeding and wood chips. There are a couple of vibrant flowers next to one tiny tree so that tree can stay shaded a little longer.
I also cleared around the chokeberry bushes near the vineyard. The weeds around were so tall but somehow the deer find and trim the chokeberries. One of the 4 bushes is looking pretty good. I sprayed deer repellent on them all.
I mowed enough to open the fence around the elderberries. Very dense in there.
I tried to mow around the vineyard bee yard but it's pretty dense in there. At least I got close enough to see the wires of the fence.
After that it was time for "work work" and the air quality dropped - good timing.