The Swan Layed an Egg --- and it Hatched!

It's an amazing thing when a swan gourd sits on her eggs and they actually hatch! Take a look at all of these adorable "swan-lings" with their Mama.

BEFORE

AFTER

Okay, okay. The eggs didn't actually hatch, but this is a Mama Swan Gourd with four babies. This was the newest thing at the produce auction today, and I told Mom that we had to come home with them no matter what. There were these long crates filled with Mama Swans and their little babes. Three crates were sold as a lot and then mine were by themselves. They were the last thing that we had to wait on, but Mom bid on them while I was loading the truck --- and, of course, she won! Only $11.00 and the swans were ours. Er, mine. :) So, we came home and I helped Mom get her canning started and then left for a couple hours of sunshine (what is that, by the way??) working in the garden.

JUST ARRIVED AT THEIR NEW HOME

The neighbor was nice enough give me about thirty corn stalks from his field, so I made three bunches out of those and put them up at the corners of the fence and under the locust tree. Then, I had to move all of those pumpkins out of the way --- which is no easy job, let me tell you! Mom and I took the truck down to the mill and picked up four straw bales. We're planning on putting a bunch of them around the foundation of the house in the windy corner this Winter, but I wanted a few to use in decorating. So, after all the pumpkins were moved I was able to put the bales in place. All of the pumpkins are stacked on top of them (or should I say "arranged"). The Mother Swan and her babies have a special little nest area at the base of the bales, and they're surrounded by squash and gourds.

We also got two Bushel gourds at the auction. One is a perfectly round shape, so I'm hoping that it will dry out --- making it possible for Elizabeth to paint it as a globe! Wouldn't that be cool?! We're in a stretch of some sunny days right now, so it's been really good for all of the pumpkins and gourds. Kind of gives them a good chance to dry out. More later.