Around The Farm In September

The neighbors had only one cow still due to calve and she was late. Finally, she gave birth to this bull calf. He was extra large and it was a difficult birth. He couldn't stand for a couple of days, so they milked the mother and hand fed the "little" one. He's now fine:

I walked over to see him and, while I was at it, to say hello to his mom. She looks intimidating here, I realize, but she's sweet and gentle, even more so than my own cattle:

My Rose Mallows burst into bloom, beginning in late August:

They are even bigger this year than last year:

My little rooster marches around the property, clearly feeling like the king of the farm:

Amish families have been piling their hay into small stacks. A day or two later, they drive through the field, collecting them and piling them into a much larger mound:

My front yard, with wildflowers (Butter-And-Eggs), Tree Hydrangea and Rose Mallow:

The apple trees have been littering the ground with windfalls and the New England Asters have been in full bloom:

Some trees have produced abundantly and some have not:

My little bantam hens keep making nests at the base of the bushes where I can't find the eggs. Egg production has been reduced because of the season anyway, but it's even lower because so many eggs are hidden outdoors. I'll find them this autumn, after the leaves are all fallen:

The pear tree has produced a bumper crop this year:

Do you remember the dead Meadowlark I found by the barn? I'd forgotten about it but one day found its skeleton, back by the barn where it'd begun. It's fascinating to see what lies beneath all that skin and feathers. A few yellow breast feathers still clung to the skeleton: