Summer is in full swing and the gardens are producing. We have been including home grown veggies in our meals nearly daily. So far, we have enjoyed beets, Swiss chard, banana peppers, cucumbers and cherry tomatoes, and of course garlic.
Check out this post for my recipe for banana pepper poppers.
This week I have also started making pickles. I have two quarts of refrigerator dill pickles chillin’ in the fridge and Wednesday I canned 7 pints of pickled beets. I’m excited about having pickled beets because it has been several years since we have grown enough beets for me to pickle them. we usually eat them all fresh.
Guarding the Pond
For a couple of weeks we were having ducks visit our pond and a daily basis. Ruby would chase them off, but they kept returning. We generally embrace nature, but we don’t want ducks or geese in our pond or on our beach as they can introduce bacteria and parasites that could be harmful to those of us enjoy swimming in the pond. After a couple of weeks of this repeat behavior my husband decided Ruby needed some support. He brought out our Guard Owl and stationed it on the beach. We have not seen the ducks since the owl had been in place and as a bonus the chickens stay off the beach as well.
Our green heron has returned. (Can you see it off to the right in the above photo?) It doesn’t seem to be bothered by the owl.
Here is a closer but a bit blurry photo of the green heron.
The chickens still like to forage around the edges of the pond.
What’s Blooming?
Rose of Sharon
Anise Hyssop
Oregano
Hibiscus
Roses
Hostas
In the Garden
Corn and Sunflowers
Beets and Swiss chard with Green beans in the background
Tomatoes
Squash and Pumpkins
A volunteer sunflower popped up in the squash bed.
Wild Flowers
Mountain Mint and Echinacea
Echinacea hiding behind Timothy
Rudbeckia Laciniata (a type of cone flower)
Purple Loosestrife and Mountain Mint
Queen Anne’s Lace
Queen Anne’s Lace and Milk Weed (I’m not sure what variety of milkweed.)
Purple Loosestrife
As I stood by the wildflower patch a noticed two swallowtail butterflies dancing by. They were so beautiful. I pointed my camera in their direction and clicked a few pictures. They are barely visible in the above photo.
The beauty in digital photography is that I was able to crop the photo so we can see both butterflies.
Our blueberry harvest is well underway and an abundant harvest it is. My husband and I picked about 5 quarts last Thursday, then on Sunday my sister brought her grandkids out and they picked another 5 or so quarts. The berries are still ripening so I hope to have my grandkids over this weekend to pick some as well. Blueberries are Addies favorite.
We have also been picking and enjoying Swiss chard and green beans.
Too Much of a Good Thing
In the last several weeks we have had more than enough rain. The ground is saturated, and our brassica vegetables are suffering because of it. You might remember as we wrapped up June our gardens were looking great, especially the cabbage.
Cauliflower after too much rain.
They are no longer looking good.
Cabbage after too much rain.
Some of the other plants are showing signs of stress as well like yellowing leaves (squash), slow growth (beets) and split fruit (tomatoes).
On the Wrong Side of the Fence
This fawn was on the inside of our fence.
and was not sure how to get out.
While its mother was on the outside of our fence apparently wanting to get her baby out. I’m not certain how the young one got inside our fence. I don’t think it was born on our property because it looked to be at least several weeks old and I think we would have encountered it before now. I don’t think it jumped over the fence because it didn’t seem to know how to jump back over. In the evenings, when the dogs are not at the farm, we sometimes leave the gate open, so a likely case scenario would be that momma brought the baby in when the gate was open and we unknowingly locked the baby in.
That evening we again left the gate open hoping the little one would find its way out and back to momma. We haven’t seen it around since that day so we are assuming it found its way out.
Pollinator Paradise
The prayer garden is abuzz with bees. Honeybees and bumble bees among other pollinators are heavily foraging the lavender, thyme, oregano and tickseed.
But our back field also has lots to offer pollinators. Perhaps we should call it a”Field of Pollinator Dreams”.
The field is blanketed with white clover as is most of our farm. It is a favorite of the honeybees.
Clover is a very common flavor/ingredient in honey.
Over the years this birdsfoot trefoil has spread throughout the field. We have witnessed a lot of honeybees collecting nectar/pollen from its blossoms.
Canadian thistle also attracts bees and other pollinators for its nectar. As it goes to seed I expect we will see goldfinches in the field as thistle seed is a favorite food of theirs.
Milkweed is another plant that is prevalent in our back field this year.
Milkweed is sometimes known as the monarch butterfly plant because these butterflies lay their eggs only on milkweed plants and their hatchling caterpillars feed exclusively on milkweed.
If you grow it, they will come.
We often see the monarchs fluttering above and around the patch of milkweed. There are many.
Monarchs are not the only ones with an appreciation for the milkweed as I also witnessed a honeybee on a milkweed flower and caught a quick glimpse of a hummingbird darting around the patch.
The most northern part of the field is filled with sweet clover this year. This biennial is another blossom that is loved by honeybees.
This monarch is not on a milkweed plant but perched on another plant near the milkweed patch.
I think of this field as ‘nature at its best’. It has had very little human intervention. It just grows wild. We keep some paths mowed around and through it during the summer for walking and riding the 4-wheeler and each fall after the vegetation dies we mow the field. This mowing helps to spread the seeds of plants like the trefoil, clover, thistle and milkweed so over the course of a few years what started out as just a couple of plants has become large patches of that plant.
Fun Pictures
Cattails swaying in the breeze.
Balloon flowers in bloom.
Daylilies and a hidden damselfly.
A closeup of the damselfly.
Believe it or not this is a bluebird house. Over the years we have seen different birds make their homes in the life preservers near our pond. A few days ago my husband mentioned seeing a bluebird fly out of this life preserver. Since then I too have witnessed the bluebird flying out of there. It doesn’t seem to have eggs inside so perhaps just using it for shelter or a playhouse. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you are having a great July!
Tuesday evening as we headed to the farm I didn’t really have a plan as to what I was going to accomplish. I knew there were things that need to be done, like cutting some grass, weeding in the prayer garden and cleaning garlic, but I didn’t feel an urgent need to get any of those things done.
So, I took the evening off and just enjoyed being at the farm on a beautiful summer evening. It was a great time for picture taking so grab your favorite beverage and join me.
*For anyone who is burned out on nature pictures you can play a game as you read ” Count the tennis Balls” let me know in the comments how many tennis balls you saw in the pictures. *
As we arrived at the farm shortly after 6:00 P.M. the first order of business was to feed the chickens the kitchen scraps we had collected throughout the day. As usual Ruby had to sniff though the goodies to see what she might like. Since it was mostly watermelon rinds and peach peels (I canned peaches that morning), I’m not sure if she actually found anything good to eat.
The weather is still very summerlike but there is a feel that fall is fast approaching. Late summer/fall flowers, like these black-eyed-Susans and purple loosestrife, are in bloom.
The hibiscus are beautiful this year.
I’ve been waiting all summer for these volunteer cosmos to blossom. I am reminded of my maternal grandma, who loved these flowers.
I’ve also been waiting for the opportunity to photograph a dragonfly. As I wandered through the prayer garden, this one posed on a lily leaf to oblige me.
The balloon flowers continue to blossom, but I think I need to add deadheading them to my to-do list to keep them flowering longer.
After photographing the balloon flower, I looked toward the beach and was pleasantly surprised to see our green heron. Long time followers might remember that each year in late summer we begin seeing a green heron dining along the edges of our pond. In past year I have speculated that there were a pair perhaps living in our woods since on some occasions I had seen two of them.
A couple weeks ago my husband first mentioned seeing “that bird” and he has talked about it, and how good it is at catching fish, a few times since then. Until Tuesday night I had yet to see it this year.
My husband and I agree in thinking that this is not the same bird we’ve seen in past years as it looks younger.
It also did not seem as skittish as in past years.
I was probably within 15 feet when I took this photo,
and as I stood on the edge of the prayer garden it continued to comb the shoreline making its way right past me,
on the hunt for a minnow or a frog.
Check out that hair do. Looks like a rock star. LOL!
After my rock star friend flew to the other side of the pond, I began making my way to the main garden, AKA puppy playground, to take some photos. I passed this patch of wildflowers near the beehives. I’m not sure what they are but the patch has spread each year and they make a grand showing.
When I got to the main garden and was approaching these sunflowers, I noticed two hummingbirds that seemed to be playing near the flowers. Unfortunately, they flew off before I could get my camera.
A few weeks ago my husband noticed that birds had begun eating our unripe apples. He at first was blaming it on crows but we have since witnessed sparrows flying out of the trees as we approach. He chose the tree with the most apples on it and put netting over and around it. While none of the apples are visible in this picture rest assured, we can now leave them on the tree to fully ripen.
We did leave the rest of the apple trees un-netted, so the sparrows have plenty to eat (unless the crows get there first.)
Before I continued my garden tour, I had to play a game of fetch with Ruby.
I threw the ball several times and each time she brought it back to me to throw again.
When she decided to take a break, I continued on my way.
The sunflowers, a beautiful variety that we had not planted before, were buzzing with bees.
Melons (not tennis balls)
Cantaloups were planted late and are not yet ripe, but we should get a few nice melons from these plants.
Green Hubbard
The squash are still growing as well. I expect it will be at least another month before we harvest any.
Some pumpkins are beginning to turn orange.
After leaving the garden my husband and I sat at the picnic area for a while. Ruby decided it was time for another game of fetch.
The chickens don’t play fetch, but I have seen a curious hen walk up and peck a tennis ball.
I have seen Peanut play with a tennis ball, but fetch is not his game either.
When the flies started biting my ankles we decided to relocate. We sat on the beach to enjoy the scenery. Thankfully there were no flies there.
The wind was calm, and the water looked like glass.
Until my husband threw some fish food in. The minnows began feeding almost immediately leaving rings on the surface of the pond.
The sun was setting in the west. The green heron was still fishing along the edge of the pond but was beyond the cameras reach. It was peaceful feel just relaxing and soaking up this environment.
Then the entertainment began.
Ruby and Ranger began ruff-housing.
Running and chasing each other, barking and kicking up sand.
It’s funny to watch them play like this knowing they are BFF”s.
My camera battery went dead after this photo, but you really didn’t miss any of the good stuff. I hope you enjoyed our evening at the farm. Thanks for spending time with us.
One last photo for those who are counting.
Are you making the most of the last days of summer?
To hold one accountable for a commitment, make good on a promise.
They also tell us that the origin of the phrase pertains to torture used during the Crusade’s. As a method for extracting confession for heresy, non-believers were positioned in a manner that allowed the inquisitor to apply flames to the feet of the accused. This was done until the accused confessed or died.
As ridiculous as that method of obtaining a confession seems by today’s standards, consider a modern parallel – plea bargaining. The accused is offered the choice between a reduced sentence in exchange for a confession, or prosecution with the risk of more severe penalty (possibly death).
I choose this phrase because I feel like my husband has been “holding my feet to the fire”. Ever since my last post where I vowed to embrace the good weather while we have it, he has been reminding me and encouraging me to take some time off each day to do the things I really enjoy: ride the 4-wheeler, spending time with the kids and grandkids and fishing.
It is easy for me to get caught up in the work that needs to be done. Things like staining the deck and power washing the house are also activities that need to be done when the weather is nice, so I am thankful for his subtle reminders: “go ride your bike” or “put that away for today, let’s go fishing.”
We hadn’t done any fishing this summer until last week. However the pair of green herons that spend summers at the farm arrived in sometime in July, as they do every year, and had been enjoying daily meals at the pond. They are largely camouflaged along the ponds edge, as you can see in the photo below, but they make their presence known when they squawk and fly up into one of the surrounding trees as someone approaches the pond. They seem a bit disgruntled over the interruption.
It was about two weeks ago that my husband asked me to help him store the boat for the winter. I agreed but suggested that we needed to do some fishing first. A couple days later my husband came home with a few dozen worms and said “lets go fishing”. 🙂
While our green herons may be eating a lot of the small fry that swim up near shore my husband and I have caught some real whoppers. I’m sorry I don’t have any fish photos but I have decided that taking my camera in the boat is not really a good idea. You’ll just have to decide for yourself if this is a fish tale (bonus idiom) or I’m telling the truth (I am).
We have spent several evenings over the last week out in our little paddle boat baiting our hooks and casting them into the pond and to date the fish we have caught include a 18 inch (45.72cm) walleye, another large walleye that we did not get a chance to measure, a 17 inch (43.18 cm) pike and an 11 inch (27.94 cm) perch (who has been caught several times). We have also caught some 6 and 7 inch perch and lots of small fry (2-4 inch), which we always take as a good sign because if there are little ones that means the big ones are reproducing.
Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful day!
Have you ever had anyone hold your feet to the fire?
Long time readers might remember this post from 2018 when I shared the things I enjoy most about summer.
Summer 2021 is quickly waning so we spent last weekend doing some of my favorite things.
This is how our beach should look. 🙂
Saturday we hosted a picnic for family and friends. Many who were invited could not make it but we enjoyed spending time with those who did.
The weather was hot and humid – the dog days of summer – but the breeze was heaven sent and coupled with the shade of the large oak tree or a dip in the pond and a cold bottle of water to keep hydrated, the day seemed perfect. I personally enjoyed visiting with everyone so much that I never even noticed how hot it was. 🙂
Sunday was a day to relax. The weather was a repeat of the day before and my husband and I made time for an afternoon nap in our recliners. After dinner we went to the farm to play. I started by spending about 30 or 40 minutes paddling around the pond on my swim ring. The water was most refreshing. After that I spent another 45 minutes or so riding the 4 wheeler. 🙂
Summer is not over, and like I do each year at this time I am vowing to embrace the good weather that remains. Since the weather has cooled a touch I will find myself in the kitchen for several days this week canning tomato juice but being thankful for the wonderful staycation we had this past weekend.
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