Farm Fowl: Beatrix The Hunter **Warning: Graphic Photos**

You may already know that chickens are omnivorous opportunists and, given the chance, they’ll devour a variety of protein sources: I’ve seen chickens chase down and eat small frogs (wince), along with a variety of insects. Recently, we were very surprised to see one of our hens running around with an unusual “treat” in her beak.

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Eat This: Farm Stand Finds

If you’re fortunate enough to live in an area that has farm stands – those small, typically “self serve” and “honor system” stands with produce situated off the road in front of the owner’s property – this is a great time of year to make the most of the amazing deals you can find there. Recently, we discovered a couple of new ones on our way to run an errand and bought some lovely produce. Why not cut out the “middle man”, help farmers keep more of the money, and get a great deal on fresh produce?

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Daily Wonder: Fairy Fly-By

The natural world is full of wonders. If you’re like me, you can’t help but notice – and revel – in these amazing moments that demand your full attention. One hot summer morning, as I was loading up my Gorilla Cart with 5-gallon buckets of fermented feed to begin the animal chores outside (there are “inside” animal chores, too, of course), something caught my eye. It looked like a floating bit of cottony matter. I watched it for a bit, soon realizing that it wasn’t merely drifting on the breeze – it was flying. It invited a closer look.

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Musings: The Wisdom of Wild Snails (Post #1,000!)

For this momentous post, I decided that I would focus on a creature that is often maligned (mostly by gardeners), but that I find immensely fascinating. It’s an animal that reminds me of two important things: that (1) there is an absolutely amazing world of tiny plants, animals, and other matter that is overlooked by people and (2) sometimes, we need to slow down and enjoy the wonders of the world around us – or even our own inner world – at a snail’s pace.

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