Springtime at PaPaw's Farm

We went to PaPaw's farm on Monday. Spring time is the busy time around a farm and since Dad had been away since last Wednesday, he needed to go to the farm to check on the chickens, cows and crops. The kids love to go to the farm, even if it means being in the car for another hour.

The farm is covered in wildflowers and the grass is green. Its a lovely time in east Texas.

The chickens, walking in single file line from their coop. Oliver claims that he has a pet chicken at PaPaw's farm. When I asked him which chicken was Oliver's chicken, he told me it was the one that goes, "cock a doodle doo".

The latest calf, George.

The first pepper.

Going to the farm makes these two very hungry.

The first tomatoes. They are blurry, but I will use this opportunity to issue a PSA: this is the state of a tomato currently being grown outdoors in April. They are not "in season" yet unless they are being grown in a hothouse. My Dad got a call while we were traveling from someone who buys from him at the farmer's market. She wanted to know if he had tomatoes. Shortly after that phone call, a friend of mine posted on FB that she went to the farmer's market in her town and got the best strawberries and tomatoes from her local farmers. I don't care where in the US you live, tomatoes are not in season! If you see them at a farmer's market or a store right now claiming to be local, they aren't unless they are grown inside a hot house. So ask.

Cabbage.

The bug catcher, she caught a little orange butterfly. We discovered a few monarch butterflies still in the area.

Oliver taking a break by the pond.

Fishing is always involved at PaPaw's farm. PaPaw is improvising some leftover steak as bait. There are so many little blue gill in PaPaw's pond that all Chloe has to do is drop the line in the water and she gets a bite. Easy pickins.

Catch and release blue gill fishing at PaPaw's farm. That Barbie fishing rod really does the trick.

A look at the crops and barn.

Red clover.

One of the honeybees from PaPaw's farm doing his work.

A butterfly enjoying nature's bounty.

Before we left, Chloe got stung by a yellow jacket on her finger. There was much drama but it was all soon forgotten as we discovered despite using bug spray that she had been bitten at least 5 times by mosquitoes. She has a scent that biting bugs love.