I set about to make sure everyone had water. It was supposed to get up to 90-degrees and with no air conditioning or anything, water is very important. Once everyone was watered, and I had a chance to eat breakfast and drink a cup of coffee, Tony and I went out to measure out where all of the trees will be planted. We marked out fourteen spaces for everything from apples, pears, peaches, and a plum tree, to aronia, hazelnut, and lilac as well. I measured a little off with the satelite view, so we ended up with one extra spot in the East field. And we skipped the last space in the West field. It was supposed to be for the Pixwell Gooseberry, but something else I read said they prefer partial sun, and that space is full sun.
Once we got the garden all marked out, I filled out all the paperwork for the bunnies, #3 got the baggies of food ready (every bunny goes home with a paper and a baggy of food), and then #3 and #4 helped wrangle bunnies so we could head to Brainerd to meet people and send them on their way to their new homes.
We sent five bunnies off to new homes, leaving three yet unspoken for (and two more at home that will be picked up in June). We ran out to my parents' house and dropped bunnies off so we could go shopping. We went to Menards and picked up the lumber for the raised strawberry bed - or at least most of it. The last few boards wouldn't fit in the car, so we'll have to go back to pick them up tomorrow. We also bought the pieces to fix the outside spigot so we could use the hose again, and while we were there I picked up a couple more apple trees (Frostbite and Prairie Magic). A quick run through Costco and we were heading back out to my parents' house to pick up bunnies and head home.
When we got home, I admit, I was absolutely exhausted, and it was 95 degrees when we got home around 5 or 6 pm. No AC in the house, even with fans going it was probably 85-90 in the bedroom, but I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. I took a nap while #3 worked out a sleep over with a friend. I woke up to an extra kid in the house. Tony said it was starting to cool off outside, so I got up to go do more work outside. He had fixed the spigot and hooked up the hose.
This evening I dug all the holes for the trees that we had marked off this morning. They should be ready for amendments, some kind of weed/grass suppression (cardboard or landscape fabric), planting, and mulch whenever I get to that. Probably tomorrow.
All the critters got fed and watered again, and I used the hose to water all of my plants. They needed it after such a scorcher today. Tomorrow is supposed to be 90 as well.
This morning both of the duck eggs in the incubator hatched. One egg was supposed to be from Dashi and the other from Quiche, but both of the ducklings are pretty dark. I'd have to guess the egg that came from Quiche was probably fathered by Helvegan.
This evening I got a message from one of the people who bought a rabbit today. They said the bunny had been mis-sexed. Yikes! I'll be the first to admit, I'm only human, and I do make mistakes. I checked these bunnies no less than three times, but hey, I guess it happens. I offered to trade the bunny out for one of the three yet-unclaimed babies. We have a meeting set for tomorrow to get her the buck she wants. If the returning bunny really is a doe, I shouldn't have much trouble finding it a home. I had more people wanting girls, but a lot fewer does in these litters.
Tomorrow I hope to get some work done in the morning before it heats up. Tony wants to start working on the raspberry beds, and I want to get some of the plants in the ground - especially those that are bare root and sitting in my kitchen! Then in the evening we will head back to Brainerd, pick up the lumber we missed today, trade a bunny, and mow the lawn at the old house before coming home again. Tony is excited to pick up his new puppy tomorrow too, so we may do that in the afternoon. Any excuse to sit in the air conditioning of the car during the hottest part of the day, right?
If I still have energy in the evening, perhaps more work on planting and building. Overall, a very productive day today!!
Zombie's kitten died the night before last. Poor thing struggled from the start, and I knew it wouldn't survive, but it's still sad to have one die.