The weekend flew by with much activity and a fair bit of fun thrown into the mix. It was just me and the girls from Friday on, with D away paddling down the Petawawa River with the guys.
Friday, the tractor got fixed (hooray!) so I mowed the lawn. Problem was a slipping fan belt which, since it worked sometimes and wasn't broken, didn't catch D's attention. Our hayfield has once again morphed into a respectable lawn. I alternated that work with the beginning of the coop cleanup, sweeping shavings and dirt out of one stall area.
Having shifted A's birthday party plans indoors because of the rain, it was of course a lovely, sunny day. Oh well. The kids had fun with all the indoor stuff, and the highlight of the evening was running around in the dark catching fireflies before moms came to pick up the guests. A late night all around.
Up early Saturday for the Farmer's Market, the official opening and a very successful day for our jelly business. Repeat customers, first-timers, and even a chef from a local restaurant tasted and bought. R and M were quite the sales ladies, and A was the CFO, getting change for her sisters. We also noticed something very important: the strawberries are out.
After the market, it was off to Seren's house and a water park by the river with Seren, the gaffer, and another friend and her two daughters. The kids had a ball and I started realizing how tired I was. Home again to a quiet evening before church Sunday.
After church we took advantage of the lovely sunshine to go to the local field and pick berries for about an hour. Oh, that first taste of a sun-warmed berry! Divine. Of course the girls had second, and third, and fourth tastes. D got home that night quite late but having had a great time.
Monday saw much more coop cleanup. Much, much more. The stall that will house the meat birds was done first, then the big job of the coop itself. I lost count after 10 wheelbarrows of shavings and spilled feed and manure made its way out of the barn. My shoulders are sore, my hands blistered, but the coop is clean. Biddy wasn't quite sure what's going on. Wait 'til she gets 12 new friends. It may go very well or very not-well. We'll see.
The girls were a huge help by washing and hulling the berries while I did that, and last night R and I made one batch for the market, then they went to bed and I made a batch for us.
Chicks come tomorrow, more jam and jelly to make, R's party to figure out.
Oh, and there's laundry and ironing.
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