Back from Vacation and ... Invasion of the Dreaded Beetle!

I am pretty sure that I whined a bit last year when the Asian Lady Beetles showed up - sorry, but I have to whine again.  They arrived yesterday and in such large numbers they could not be ignored.  If you have not experienced these insects for  yourself - you need to know that not only do they smell bad, they also bite.

I had to remove the clothes from the line in the late afternoon - normally a pleasant task on a sunny fall day, but not this time.  These nasty little beasts love to be in the sun and were hanging all over the wash and the garage wall, as well as just filling the air.  I had to resort to snatching a piece of clothing off the line and then dashing to the shade of the nearby pine tree. Then the garment had to be vigorously flipped to remove the creatures before being folded and dropped in the basket.  This procedure was then repeated for every item of the four loads of wash on the lines.  Tedious. 

We had a very nice little vacation up in the Bayfield/Washburn/Ashland area of Wisconsin.  We relaxed (although not as much as we thought we would), hiked, ate out (a lot), shopped, and even got to visit with some area farmers.  Here are a couple of photos from a hike we took to the sea caves.

 

 

Back at home, the pullets are starting to lay a few eggs and are now sporting blue leg bands.  The older hens will soon be joining them in the winter coop.

The wheat and rye are up and looking good.  This weekend was just beautiful in these parts (despite the wretched bugs!). 

And that is about enough for this week.  Until next time, be well friends!