Hot Summer Days Around The Farm

My first full time summer on the farm has been filled with alternating periods of great work and great idleness. But always there has also been great beauty such as the yellow Asiatic Lilies just outside my door:

And soon after the yellow lilies had dropped their petals (notice them on the ground in this photo), my one and only orange lily burst into bloom:

I shut off the riding mower long enough to enjoy the summery treats of wild blackberries:

The Rugosa Roses bloomed off and on, pretty much all summer long:

And wild Butter-And-Eggs blossomed amidst the roses:

I bought a Tree Hydrangea, courtesy of a gift card from a friend, and planted it out in front of the house:

This photo isn't very good, but it represents a pleasant memory for me. I was on the riding mower and pulled out onto the dirt road to make a turn. I thought I saw a small pack of dogs trotting up the road toward me, but soon realized it was a doe and her two fawns. I held still and they kept coming, not veering off into the brush until they were very close to me:

A heavy crop of Choke Cherries at my fence line near the far end of the south hay field:

The view of my barn (the house is hidden behind the apple trees) from the south hay field - and just look at that sky!:

And a volunteer Snapdragon, no doubt a descendant of plants cultivated many years ago by the previous owners, took root and blossomed magnificently at the edge of my steps:

I spent a lot of time this summer brush hogging and clearing brush. But I dropped the brush hog in the yard when it came time to spray around the fence line:

That's the homemade sprayer parked out in the barn yard. I pretty much spent the summer working to get my expensive new fence to work. The cattle should be here in early autumn: