Pickin' on the farm!

One Friday afternoon after school I loaded up the boys and took them to our favorite farm, Conner's A~maize~ing Acres to pick some strawberries. They were in full bloom & on sale! Boy, we sure did enjoy those strawberries! They were gone by Monday so Gammy took Rocco back for more. Strawberry cake, strawberries w/cool whip, strawberry smoothies, strawberry pie, OK, you get the point.

When we arrived the animals ran right over to the fence! They are used to people and love the attention! Just like me boys actually. Hmmm....

The boys were armed with their Easter baskets & ready to pick!
Rocco told everyone how to do it, "Gently twist & pull. Don't take the green ones."

Roman & I picked once when he was just a wee boy but the plants were on the ground, so these were much easier!

They could pick anywhere they wanted but always wound up near each other. Which on one hand aggravated me because they fight a lot & on the other hand made my heart smile.

Don't you just love this picture?!

Yummmmmmm....

I took this picture of the boys in front of the corn field & plan to take another in the fall when the corn is full!

Dallon insisted on me taking his picture in front of the broccoli because he LOVES it! YUM-O

My twins

Rocco couldn't believe he had the heaviest basket! He picked the most!!

Afterwards you just sit & eat. We loved this part!!

Dallon was in strawberry heaven!

Roman too

When I cut the boys off from eating so they wouldn't OD on strawberries the sweet lady offered the boys to go see the barn animals. THIS is southern hospitality!

They feed the 'dud' strawberries to the animals.

Roman & Dallon loved walking through all the loose chickens.

But Rocco took some persuading.

Until he spotted the bunny!

And the cow. When we were there the owner told us that the cow was pregnant & should be delivering in about two weeks. I promised the boys we would go back after she delivered. She still hasn't delivered so I'm wondering if it's another case of mistaken pregnancy?

Last fall this hay was shaped into a tractor. It's fallen down but if you squint your eyes, tilt your head and cluck like a chicken you can see it.

A few months ago I found out we have panthers in our area. I KNOW we're in FL but we ain't THAT country! (insert hideous twang) OK, maybe we are. I was told they travel over from the Okefenokee Swamp in GA. Anyway, it came up in conversation at the farm & the lady told me a story about her encounter a few years ago when they raised Tyson chickens. Apparently something had been getting into the chicken houses & eating the chickens. One night she found herself awake at about 2am & decided to wander out to see if she could solve this mystery. (Ruh Ro Scooby Doo!) As she entered the chicken house she heard something at the other end and saw green eyes. She thought to herself, 'THIS IS A CAT! A CAT HAS BEEN GETTING MY CHICKENS!' So she marched down there in the faint barn hanging light and yelled for it to scat. About that time she saw it turn away from her, run under the fence through a hole it had dug and the BIG LONG BLACK tail whipped in circles until it disappeared. She didn't realize it until the next day that it was a panther!!!!!!!!! SCARED? Me too!!!

Moral of the story: Don't go in your barn at 2am without a gun and maybe some backup.