Lazy (for me) Sunday

I got up late this morning, about 6 so was off to a very slow start. 

Hauled a load of dry, very dusty load of manure. Even managed to get the inside of the cab covered in dust. This was goat manure mixed with some ground up alfalfa hay. 

I cleaned up some spots in the back garden, including harvesting 3 plants of Red Romaine lettuce that had gone to seed. I spread some of the manure with the most hay mixed in as mulch under the kale and collard plants. I also coated an empty bed with it. The mulch will encourage the earthworms and help keep the soil moist. 

I did some watering. A lot of the chard and kale seedlings have disappeared to the slugs, grasshoppers and birds.  I have more started and need to get them potted up.  Need a screen house to keep seedlings in during the summer. 

This is how hot and dry it's been this year. The potted tomatoes which if protected sometimes produce until December are badly infested with spider mites. They will be coming out but it got too hot to be that energetic today. 

The birds were driving me crazy getting into the apples so I picked the tree clean. I didn't sort or weigh them yet, just put them in the fridge. 

The cucumber and melon plants on the trellis beds need tied up again. No cucumbers yet but a lot of male flowers. 

There is a lot to do in the garden but the clouds blew away and the sun got hot.  So time to take a nap.  

EDITED TO ADD

My nap was rudely interrupted by very loud claps of thunder and Giotto barking insanely. He is terrified of thunder so I had to get up and let him in the house. 

After my nap I did chores at moms then raked up the aisle in the barn. The young birds are molting (babies go through three molts before they are grown) and most of the older hens.  The barn is looking like a pillow factory exploded out there. 

Then I went to my house to turn off the hoses and collect eggs from the chickens over there. I sorted and weighed the apples while I was there.  The bird pecked ones I'll make into vinegar as soon as I find a clean jug. 

Then I came back and ate dinner. Time now to lock up the free range chickens and sort the eggs then a shower and off to bed.