These Summer Months

Blissful summer laundry day.

Today is the first of August. It's been a great summer here on our farm. It's a fecund year. Swarms of hummingbirds, flocks of goldfinches, twin fawns, lots of flowers, fruits and veggies. The hay has been cut and taken away. The horses and mules are all shiny and fit. Magneto is making good progress in his training. He barely reacts at all anymore to the saddle going on his back. Bernie's book is in an advanced state of editing, and a couple copies are now in the hands of two professional first readers.

The bald at the top of the mountain remains a beautiful destination to ride or walk to. It's different depending on the day. Some days it looks like it is sitting on the edge of a rainforest, and other days, under bright blue skies, it looks like it might be in Montana.

The pickle raft is afloat on the little pond, and the hammock is hung between the chestnut tree and the garage. Neither of these fine idle spots has seen much use this summer as there have been so many things to be done - horses to train, books to finish,  ripe fruit to pick, salad patch to weed, potatoes to dig, fall garden to plant. Sunday was slated for the hammock, but Polly broke the stairs when she tried to come up them for breakfast, and the blueberries were ready to pick. So I picked blueberries, and Bernie rebuilt the stairs to support a mule visitor. Below is a photo essay of our farm during this June and July. I hope you enjoy it.

One of the many. Sometimes there are more than 40 or 50 hummers at a time vying for a sip of sugar water. We have 4 feeders hanging on the front porch.

Evening on the back porch with the goldfinches.

The deer twins running across the lawn as I was working on this essay.

This rare visitor to our farm has his own post. Look below at the post called Lil Eagleman.

Bright, happy flowers in the patch garden.

This sunflower is about 15 ft tall, and its head is as big as a lion's head. It surprised us by coming up on its own.

Luna moth visits the creek garden. Sadly the next day, we found the remains. It was eaten, but the wings were left.

Horses, geraniums, and bee balm.

The hay down in June, under gorgeous weather.

Bernie up the cherry tree during this June's harvest. Young pawpaw trees also in the picture.

The cherry haul. Bernie is looking so happy because he's thinking of cherry pies.

We've made two cherry pies, and I made this lemon cake with cut- up sour cherries in it. The rest of the cherries are in the freezer, waiting to be made into something delicious.

Pie helping me pick apples.

Cut flowers, tomatoes, cumbers, and the phlox growing outside, all from the farm.

The blueberries I picked on Sunday.

Shitake and chicken mushrooms grown locally.

A dragonfly comes for a ride with me on Magneto.

Therapy session with Magneto.

Magneto chilling and ready for the saddle.

Happy horses enjoying a Sunday rest day.

Coming in from the pasture, early June.

A quick break during morning exercise.

Cracker, Pie and Brick looking fit and shiny.

There have been a few distractions this summer, like snakes where they shouldn't be.*Note, we never hurt the snakes. We just move them around a little.

And here!

Have you ever played that game where you try to untangle a snake from your cooking stove?

But mostly, Bernie just sits and writes as the snakes, skinks, bees and birds come in for a visit.

The afternoon editing room.

Well, while we are at it, I might as well show you the rest of the cabin: Kitchen.

The bedroom concludes your tour of the house.

And now Polly, Magneto and I will race you to the bald on top of our mountain.

Brick and Magneto at the camp on the bald.

Magneto on the bald.

Tickseed, mountains and sky.

Pie sampling the tickseed.

The bald can look quite different depending on the weather and time of day.

Summer ritual, every Monday at 5:30 am, we wake up, walk to the bald and have a cup of coffee and a Poptart. Seems to start the weeks off right.

And now for the story of what happened when Polly tried to come for breakfast on the porch Sunday.

Well, rotten steps don't hold mule's so well. She put her foot right through.

And there went Bernie's Sunday.

But the new stairs are a huge improvement. Thanks, Polly!

The pickle raft that is not getting the use it should.

But we did get that beer in the hammock.

It's been a magical summer.

The only thing that could make it any better would be if Snookie was still here. Snookie died last August. We still miss him a lot and always will.