Who would think…….

In 8 short weeks……

You can get these……

REALLY, how many things do you know that can grow that fast!!??

The good thing about lots of rain is the nice puddle it makes in the corner of my yard. The ducks stayed in there most of the day, only running out when one of them found a worm.

Enough mud for tonight  On another subject, how do you like my new look?  A big thanks to Kendall and Evan for designing my new website.  Check them out at www.lonelilly.com and www.thebookofblog.com

  I guess you should let sleeping ducks lie……unless you want some entertainment!

   All it takes is a handful of something GREEN!

   I know you can’t see or hear the frenzy, but they go out of their minds for anything that I have leftover!

   Kacey thought she was missing out on some good treats so she had to get in the middle of things…..

   And then she had to chase everyone away from…….LETTUCE??

 We had a big storm last night that left huge masses of mud and puddles in the yard…….and did the girls have fun!!

I pick on Cher only because she is always the dirtiest duck ; -)

 Ringo, one of the Khaki Campbells…..dirty too!

                         And all I could think of when I saw this shot was that song, how does it go??

                                                                        “I LIKE BIG BUTTS………”

 At least they always end the day with a bath!

 You can see it’s laundry day at my house because Kacey can always find whatever is clean AND white!

Finally, my ducks are in their new pen.   Pretty exciting except that I had to clean up the old pen. A little gross, but my garden will love the poop straw!

If you want to build a duck house in your backyard, then do I have an idea for you!

We started out with a FREE Little Tikes house from my favorite website, www.craigslist.com  Just plug in your state and city and start searching.  Find the FREE tab and check it all the time! 

Ducks don’t need to roost like a chicken, so all you’re looking for is shelter.  In our town, the run needs to have a 3 sq. ft. area per duck.  That should be good rule of thumb if you are wondering what kind of space your ducks need.

I have a heat lamp hanging from the center, which I will move when the weather warms and the ducks are a bit older.  The food and water are inside mostly so the grain doesn’t get wet.  Notice that the waterer is setting on a brick.  This way the ducks won’t try to play in it, they’ll just drink it!

My husband decided to make the pen out of 1″ PVC pipe so it would be lightweight and movable.   He used zip ties to attach the fencing to the PVC.  I don’t know if you can see them or not, but he attached some utility type clips, like you use to hang a broom, onto the house.  This way we can move the house and the pen separately and then re-clamp it together.  Cool, huh!!

It’s a good idea to put fencing over the top to keep predators out and so you can sleep at night ;-)  And by the way, there is no floor except a PVC piece to keep the pen sturdy.  I will put straw down for bedding and change it every few days.

The door is really cool because he made it hinge with a 90 degree elbow.  Then we just use a chain to keep the door shut.  You could even use a lock if you needed real security.

However, if you live in the country, this may not be secure enough.  Anything that can dig can go right under your pen, so think on those things. 

Locked in and ready for the night, actually for the big storms we are having right now.  I just looked out the window and in the lightning I could see them all playing in the tub of water.  Crazy ducks!

Remember earlier this week I asked you to guess what this funky looking thing might be?  BTW, good guess Kendall, http://www.lonelilly.com/ 

Drum roll PLEASE!!!……..

Do you recognize these mushrooms?  It’s a SHITAKE block!  How cool is that?  I got it at our Farmers Market last weekend for a whole $2.50.  We have some folks here that grow mushrooms and they have created these mushroom blocks.  All you do is submerge in water for a day, then set it in a damp, dark place.  I put mine in the backyard on the northwest side of a big tree.  I took some great pictures of the other mushrooms just to show you how spectacular they really are!

I should be able to get 2 or 3 growths on each log and then they fall apart.  The base is made of wood shavings so I assume it will just go to my garden compost pile. 

AND, as you can see, I have all my ducks in a row. . . . . .

That’s what it probably seems like to ducks! Reminds me of drinking from the hose when you’re a kid. Enjoy!

Well that’s what it looks like!  This is hilarious to watch because when I fill up the pool or get out the hose, they all try to eat the water.  I’ll have to work on a YOUTUBE video so you can enjoy it too!

He’s the darkest one in the middle.  I have been trying to get a good shot of Sonny, but he’s either too fast or pulling up the rear. When I “adopted” him (at least I think it’s a him) I thought he was a Mallard. Now I’m not so sure. He may be a Rouen. Or it could be a Mallard hen. The funny thing about ducks is sometimes you can’t tell some things until they get feathers, start quacking, or lay an egg. Did you know that females usually quack first? And males get a curly “up do” on the tail feathers?

Then the DOG has to get in the middle of things and start following them!!  It’s kinda like she takes them for a walk because they do this all around the yard. 

And then they run toward me saying “MOM, she’s following us!!!  Make her stop!!”  

Man, when I start hearing ducks whine it tells me I better go find some human interaction!

This is the COOLEST thing ever!  I’m not going to give you any hints, but I will add another picture, maybe on Saturday, and then you’ll know.  Give me your best guesses in the comments and we’ll see who gets closest!