More gardening stuff [warning...very long]:
Yep, strawberries didn't survive here either last year...at least they looked dead. I only had one clump actually do more than wilt in the heat, so I got a 10 pack of fresh plants and 3 bags of roots. The clump from last year had gotten ripped out of its pot about a week ago and laid in a pile of other stuff I need to put into the wheelbarrow and take to the ever diminishing compost pile. On Monday when I was planting the rest of the strawberries, I picked up that discarded clump of roots and ... wooohooooo ... there were several areas of new growth. So I split off the new bits and planted those too.
I should have planted mustard greens like
@pennyJo1960 too. I love a bit of those in salad. I did put in spinach, collards, and 4 kinds of leaf lettuce. Maybe I'll include MGs next year. Other awesome things to add to salads are nasturtium blossoms (peppery flavor) and pansy/johnny-jump-up blossoms (sweeter mild flavor). You can also eat all parts of purslane (Portulaca grandifolia) and it packs loads of vitamins. Here in the States it's considered a weed with unimpressive yellow flowers, but you can get cultivated varieties with lovely multicolored blooms.
@kurby22 Portulaca LOVES heat and tolerates drought very well. In Israel, I grew it in pots, but anything (seed, stem, leaf) that fell on the ground would grow if it got even minimal water. So you might give it a try.
My dill seeds haven't made an impressive start so far, but that's ok. If I can just get a few plants to take off this year, they should self seed year after year. I'm hoping for annual volunteers from the various medicinal/culinary herbs I have starts for as well.
We didnt do onions but I do have little chives started and garlic got planted in the fall. I've never started chives indoors before to transfer later, so I'm not sure how well they'll do with the transfer.
As expected, the carrots weren't thrilled about being transferred, but surprisingly about 50% perked back up even after the heavy rain. I'm going to put a few seeds out to replace the groups that look doomed, but I'm fairly pleased with this little experiment that every source said wouldn't work (transferring started carrots).
DH got the tractor and took scoops of compost and dumped mounds on the same hill where the new fruit trees are...those mounds will be home to my squashes and melons in a few weeks.
The chickens weren't happy with DH for stealing their compost pile, but I think when they saw the stuff that the tractor exposed, they forgave him. There were worms of every size - from as small as needles to 12 inch fat nightcrawlers. Obviously, the worms loved the compost pile as much as the chickens ... unfortunately for the worms.
Once the planting is done, I'll be clearing out old bedding from the barn, mini shelter, and both coops ... and so the compost cycle will begin again, but much larger and grander than last year.
So far, the liquid fence seems to be keeping the deer away. Columbines and daffodils are supposed to be deer repellent also, so I got 2 bags of columbine roots (cheaper than daffodil bulbs) and planted one at the foot of each fruit tree and muscadine. I also got scented Japanese beetle traps to put out ... just have to time that correctly so I'm not causing myself unnecessary daily walking all the way out to the fruit tree hill before the JB season even starts. Those trapped beetles will become treats for the chickens.
The runner beans seem to be doing well despite the sheets of rain and being put outside too early. They're growing on one of the cattle panels that will also be support for cucumbers, peas, and some peppers. I was going to put brussels sprouts on them as well, but that will be late summer if I do. I have two cattle panels for the tomatoes also, but in another area of the yard.
The peppermint I started and planted last year (that barely grew at all), seems to have benefited greatly by the harsh winter because its now spreading thickly in that bed. I'm very happy about that! But it means I have to put rose bush removal (growing in that same bed) at the top of my task list for today because hacking rose bushes to the ground doesnt kill them and I hate rose bushes (thorns, thorns, and more thorns).
I'll try to get a photo or two of ever moving/playing/hopping Domino today. She has a very strong instinct to hide while she's napping and mama is foraging. Unfortunately, her instinct takes her to hidey holes that aren't at all safe, because more dangerous things could be hiding there as well. So we're just praying she gets through her newborn sleepy-cuz-she's-growing phase without incident ... and hopefully she'll be spending her days foraging also before snake season gears up too much.
Never a dull moment....
It got up to 84 today and I hated it haha. I need to live in Alaska I think. 
. Anyhoo, in the event I am able to wrangle Goldie (after sewing a saddle for her) is there any trick or tip to getting the saddle on them? I mean, any precautions needed in order to avoid hurting their wings?
