Pictures From Around The Farm

The Rose Mallows and Tree Hydrangea which I planted last autumn began to bloom in late summer:

And the little bantams spend all day foraging in the lawn, but especially under the apple trees:

They seem to live an idyllic life:

I wondered why they never ate fallen apples until one day when I ran the mower over a lot of windfalls. The chickens had just been waiting for someone to cut them open for them. They loved apples once they could get their little beaks into them:

A second fantail pigeon has now explored the great outdoors. Mostly, however, they are all happy inside the barn where they are safe and comfortable:

My bush hog got badly damaged and the tractor company came to pick it up for repairs. That whooshing sound you hear is money flying out the window, a sound I've heard far too much of lately:

Once the bush hog was off the tractor, I set in to move all 29 bales from my fields to their storage spot near the barn. I wish I could store them under cover, but I know they'll be OK outdoors:

The pink Rose Mallows have put on an amazing show and are perhaps the biggest flowers I've ever seen:

The first 22 bales, with 7 more in the south field which I hadn't moved yet. You can see the cattle grazing in the background:

It's a peaceful scene, with only the prospect of another harsh winter to spoil it:

I had two pink Rose Mallows blooming and then a pure red one began blooming also. Combined with the Tree Hydrangea, they put on quite a show:

The "baby" chickens began using the open pigeon window to leave the barn but don't quite know how to get back in at night. This has caused me some evenings of chasing and catching chickens to put them safely to bed. I'm now trying a new technique, leaving the window closed but allowing the baby chickens access to the chicken coop so they can come and go with the adult birds. This also allows for more socialization opportunities. I'm looking forward to the time when I came just keep them all together as one flock: