Tending Monarchs

Hey all,
this is weather for the ducks! We got 200 bales of hay off the wagon, into the barn, Friday night right before the big rains hit on Saturday. Now I hear the hay is going for $3.75/bale at auction; that's 150% over last year's price-- and makes our effort on Friday worth a good deal.
We are getting a little old to be humping that many bales into place in a short hurry.
We relaxed all the wet weekend after that.
Here I am, tending Monarch caterpillars in jars. You can see the milkweed leaves in each jar. A little diversion turned into a big production this year. DD (dear daughter) and I were taught to spot monarch eggs on milkweed leaves; a milkweed established itself in my perennial garden; now we can't leave the little fellas out there to be parasitized by wasps! (we've seen the sad results)
I told Emily she could sell Monarch cocoons at the Farmers' Market next week, for $5 each, and she's all over that idea. So let's see, 15 cocoons at $5 each. . .

I hope you are all well, and I look forward to hearing stories from the Fiber Fest in MI over the wet weekend. Then, up to Garrett's next Saturday!

See you all soon.
Gail