The tale of a farmgirl...

This is what a tomato plant is supposed to look like

This is a tomato gardeners arch nemesis...the hornworm

This is what a hornworm will make a tomato plant look like if you don't realize that they are there

These are a hornworms arch nemesis...the chicken

This guy was the size of my finger! He was huge!

Did you know that hornworms have a lot of protein to them?

Oh yes I did! (feed the worm to the chickens)

And the chickens fought and fought over him! What fun we have...

Well we have had quite the time of it lately! We put our chicks out to pasture in a pen and lost 7 chicks over 4 nights to coons. Every time we thought we had them protected those coons would find a way to get one. We hardly got any sleep that week because we would wake up at all hours and find the chicks in distress and run outside and shoot some coons.  It must have been quite the site seeing me run around in a nightgown coon hunting! Luckily, it was dark out... Lately we have been hunting at night and killing them before they get any chicks. So far our total is 15 coons, 2 possums and 1 skunk all in two weeks! It has been a learning experience for sure.  Today I discovered hornworms on my tomato plants. I thought that deer had been eating them...oye! We've been working on painting the barn and trying to keep the garden under control. It is almost an acre big so it has not been easy. Hopefully the harvest will pay off in the end.  I am currently working on writing a grant to the state of Michigan to get our farm turned into a milking operation with a creamery. I am not expecting to get it this year but it is good practice. We are thinking that this is the direction that we will take in our farming adventure but we are still praying through it and seeking wise counsel. I am realizing now why the settlers didn't have to do P90X or Insanity or Jane Fonda to stay fit. Pulling weeds is a great arm workout and you do squats for hours. We are tired...but in a good way I guess. Blessings to you all!!

The Derbys