Leapfrogging Ladybugs

 Got to tell you this funny story. My husband was busy working to get the tables and chairs set up outside for our Fourth of July family party and I hear him holler at me "Mummsy,(that 's what he calls me) hurry, grab your camera, there's a ladybug with babies on her back." Dutifully, I hurried to the bedroom for the camera, changed the lens to macro, then dashed outside to get this incredulous picture of a ladybug.

All the while I kept telling myself, 'Don't doubt him. After all, he saw it', but though I could believe it if he said this of a spider, for I'd seen that many times, but he said ladybugs? This I had to see to believe.

"Where?", I asked as I step out of the garage door into the yard. He pointed to the smallest plum tree, then wondered over to show me exactly where he saw them.

"Oh, I made a mistake." he says - then pauses. I watched in amusement as his brain whirled while he tried to think what to say next for children's ears had begun to tune in to our conversation. "I guess it's just that season." he says in an embarrassed tone and I started to laugh. I photographed them anyway, though my husband said it wasn't decent and wanted to tell me that I was shooting a pornographic scene but didn't dare say the word because we had really caught the grand kids attention by now. So my story is if anyone asks about the photo, the ladybugs were playing leap frog and one got high centered.

 Now I want to discuss my strawberries. What is their problem? This one is next to ...

 this one. I've fertilized them once and will do so again at the end of the week. I never cease to be baffled by Mother Nature.

 As an update, Chicory's condition is doing very well. She didn't have anymore pustules today or yesterday so I coated her udder with bag balm to soften it and I'll keep a close eye on it but I think she's well on the way to recovery. Teresa asked why her goats don't get this condition since she lives in a high humid area? Adaptation I'd say. We live in a very dry state and when it became humid it offset the balance.

The vote on whether to end the lives of our four two year old chickens was four to one in favor of killing them and if you count my vote, that makes it five to one. Sorry, Donna, I'm going to make chicken broth this weekend. I've twelve more hens that are coming of age in the fall and will begin laying so it is a matter of now or later that they will have to be killed and I choose now. Thank you, I was wavering a bit on my decision and now I'm not.