Herding Ducks

We woke up this morning nice and toasty from our brand new electric blanket.  The temperature dropped to freezing last night.  When we got up there was still frost on the west side of the machine shed.  Thanks again for the blanket Matt.

Today we continued work on garden 2.  Liz and I spread straw (I keep interchanging straw and hay, and have been corrected) across the garden to create some mulch and loosen the soil.  There were a few spots where Laurie wanted the garden to extend a little farther, so she forced me to get on the tractor and till some more.  Once I had the tractor out I retilled the straw into the soil.

Meanwhile Sara spread the soapy mix in the greenhouse to fight the aphids as the ladybugs were dropping the ball.

After I finished tilling, Liz raked the soil while Laurie and I spread gypsum.  Gypsum is supposed to break up and loosen the clay in soil - a real problem in that garden.  We're trying it for the first time so we'll see what happens.

Then Liz and Sara sowed seeds in the first two rows.  Sara hoes four rows, broadcast the seeds, pat down the soil on top and water profusely.

As they were planting, Laurie and I headed out to get some straw bales to construct a new home for the flock of ducks.  We drove down to another farm south of Clyde Park to get it.  We loaded up the truck and headed back to Crazy View.  After a short circle of the property we figured out where to build the new duck pen and began to unload the bales.

We unloaded and stacked the bales into a two high stacked wall.  We then covered it with some plywood and a tarp at a slope.  A small area fenced in around it would put the finishing touches on the new enclosure.

Emma and Laurie hanging chicken wire outside the duck pen

Laurie has the flock so she can train her border collies Jane and Mary to herd.  So this was Jane's chance to get the ducks from the coup to the their new home.  We formed a human tunnel between the two while Laure and Jane herded the ducklings.

With the ducks safely in their new home I mowed the lawn while the girlslaid straw and cardboard between the beds in garden three for future crop rotation.  The work day, and our work week, ended soon after.  Us three WWOOFers decided to have a beer in town.  So Liz and I mounted our bikes and rode into town.  It was mostly downhill and we made it there in 25 minutes.  As of now we haven't timed the ride back because Sara met us at the bar and gave us a ride back.  When we got inside what looks like a small bar but stretched back into a gorgeous room.  They have a large poker table with nice office chairs around it.  Hung above it, and on the wall across the street, are murals by artist Gary Kerby,  We met Gary on our first night here when we had dinner at the cafe with the guys from Muddy Creek Ranch after their branding.  Gary works with Billy.  As we sat down and ordered a beer we noticed a strange sight at the next table.

Right after we ordered our second beer we started to hear what sounded like gunshots outside.  Liz noticed some people with whips that had just stepped out.  So we went outside and saw a guy and a girl standing in the side street cracking whips.  Only in Montana...

We took the short drive back home and enjoyed out last dinner with Lisa, David, and Emma.  They fly back to New Hampshire in the morning.  We had a lot of fun all week and we will miss them.