Happy New Year!!

Wishing you all a Happy New Year!!

Hope that 2008 brings us all lots of love, laughter and lovely memories.

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Today we had to run to the Auto Parts store to get a new battery for our van. Seems when we wanted to go somewhere yesterday..all we got was a "click" when putting the key in the ignition. So..the battery gave out on it. Luckily that was easily fixed...and that we have a back up vehicle.

So..everything is "right as rain" again.

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I had wanted to rip out the deck today by the back door, but...umm that's alot harder to do than I thought..ha.

It is not easy to do. And cannot easily be done with the simple tools I had in hand..a hammer, a screw driver, and a hacksaw..haha.

I broke the blade on the hacksaw. So gave up on that..then couldn't pry the boards up at all with the remaining tools. So...I'll have to go to the hardware store and get a crow bar tool that has the nail groove in the end of it.

I'm sure they have some sort of fancy smancy name for the gizmo...but anyhow..what I had didn't work and I quickly gave up.

I will definitely tackle the project again..when I have the proper tools..as the goal is to convert the area into a raised bed planting area.

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I didn't get to tackle what I wanted to today, but I did get one of my seed starting trays out and have it plumping up on the soil pellets now(you have to get the seed starting pellets wet, then they are ready to plant the seeds into)...and I'm going to plant some coleus seed and some godetia seed in them.

Yes...I am starting to get the Spring bug.

It usually happens to me right after Christmas and I become eager to start planting and planning.

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I've been getting some lovely gardening catalogs in..and so far I think my 2 favorites have been the Baker's Seed Catalog and The Cook's Garden atalog.

Both offer a wide variety.

I especially like the wide variety of lettuces offered in the Cook's Garden catalog... lots of lettuce mixes.

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I'll be posting some more pictures soon of the little critters.They certainly grow up quickly.

We have been putting them outside a good bit more often now..during the day..still in their cages, but in the shade. They do get some "run around the yard" time..but supervised... as they are still little, and we do have hawks that fly over the house during the day.

The little hens have already discovered the joys of a dust bath..ha.

Today while oldest daughter had them out..they were sitting in the new flower bed in a tiny patch of dirt...trying to kick the dirt up on their backs..they are tiny chickens yet..still babies and it was funny to see them trying that out.

Daffy the big male duck has learned that he likes Sunny the new baby girl duck after all. He has decided that she is half way decent after all..and has become quite protective of her.

We allow her to follow Daffy around a little bit in the mornings and to also bathe in the large water bin. She really enjoys it.Daffy does not allow anyone or anything near his new "girlfriend" now. He recognizes that she's his companion to be now..and boy has he gotten protective again.

In fact we saw a pile of bird tail feathers near Sunny's cage the other day..apparently a mockingbird got too close to her and Daffy grabbed a beak full of tail feathers...ha.

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I remember back when we had our other female duck"Daisy"..I was looking outside of the kitchen window and saw a dove land on the bird bath to get a drink...Daffy walks ever so slowly up under the bird bath..reaches his head up slowly..slowly..then grabs a beak full of that dove's tail feathers!!! The dove quickly flew off..and Daffy spit the feathers out. I doubled over in laughter..I had never seen anything like that in my life. I wish that I had captured it on video. That duck acted out in slow motion and it was absolutely hilarious..just as non chalant as you please..walked up under that dove..and "chomp!" I wonder how many tailless doves are flying around my neighborhood that I don't know about?...ha

If you happen to see one..well...just blame it on "Daffy".. hee hee.

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Well.....I sincerely hope that we all have an absolutely wonderful year in 2008.

Thanks for joining me in "blogland"

~The Garden Goose~